At the last Amsterdam Common Council meeting in April, Controller Matt Agresta said he expected the draft audit report on the city’s 2014-2015 financials to be available by April 21. As of Tuesday’s meeting, the job had yet to be done by the EFPR Group, the firm hired by the city to complete the audit, and city officials were looking for an explanation.
“They’ve got to give us an anwer, I have to have an answer,” said Mayor Michael Villa.
“They won’t give me a definitive answer,” replied Agresta.
“Then we need to bring them into the building. We have to get this done. It’s been on and on and on…,” said Villa.
“Trust me, you’re preaching to the choir, I understand completely,” said Agresta.
“We have to get these auditors in the building and get this 14-15 [audit] done. So let’s schedule something. I want a teleconference with them and find out where when, how, this can be completed and what the time frame is. I need to hear it for myself Matt,” said Villa.
Agresta said he would forward Villa the last email communication he had with EFPR in which he requested an explanation for not having the report done yet.
“Have they asked you for any other information?” asked Alderman Jim Martuscello.
“There is nothing more for me to give them. It’s a matter of them finalizing the report. I can’t make them do it,” said Agresta.
Villa said to Corporation Counsel Bill Lorman, “Next time, Bill, we have to build something in the contract that sets a time-frame.”
The EFPR group was hired by the city in June 2016 to audit the city’s financials for four fiscal years, starting with 2013-2014. The 2013-2014 audit was completed in August 2016. Agresta said work on the audit for the 2015-2016 fiscal year is set to begin in June.
