Yesterday’s post stated that I didn’t know if the audit of Salisbury’s finances was complete. We now know that it isn’t. IF your definition of complete is a bound document, with an opinion / management letter signed by the auditor then the audit is NOT COMPLETE.
Why, then, did Mayor Barrie Tilghman, Council President Louise Smith, Finance Chief Pam Olan, and the city's auditor Herb Geary put the public through that ridiculous charade last month?
The document released on New Year's Eve (the Confetti Papers?) did not include an auditor's opinion. Sources state that the opinion letter / management letter will not be ready until mid-month. In addition, multiple problems have already been found in the Confetti Papers. This also forces us to ask what was sent to Annapolis last week. Perhaps the O'Malley administration won't be concerned with little things like the absence of an opinion letter with a city's audit?
Of course, the party line from the Tilghman Family is that this is much ado about nothing. Really? Get a copy of an annual report from any publicly held corporation. Is their an opinion letter? Of course there is. If the city of Salisbury was held to the same standards (Sarbanes - Oxley), certain members of the city administration would be facing indictment.
The law is the law. If Mayor Tilghman doesn't feel the necessity to obey, much less enforce, the law then why should the common citizenry? Financial statements sans an opinioin letter are not the same thing as audited financial statements; unless you're the type of politician who wants to "define what is means".
Last month Ms. Oland and Mr. Geary kept trying to gloss over the sheer incompetence of the city administration by claiming that the audit was being done on time and that it would be ready that month. Well folks, it's now 2008 and it's still not complete. This will at least the third year in row that the audit has been carried over into the next calendar year. Perhaps the Mayor will give every city taxpayer 3+ months lee-way in paying their taxes this year as well.
Crossposted in Delmarva Dealings
Why, then, did Mayor Barrie Tilghman, Council President Louise Smith, Finance Chief Pam Olan, and the city's auditor Herb Geary put the public through that ridiculous charade last month?
The document released on New Year's Eve (the Confetti Papers?) did not include an auditor's opinion. Sources state that the opinion letter / management letter will not be ready until mid-month. In addition, multiple problems have already been found in the Confetti Papers. This also forces us to ask what was sent to Annapolis last week. Perhaps the O'Malley administration won't be concerned with little things like the absence of an opinion letter with a city's audit?
Of course, the party line from the Tilghman Family is that this is much ado about nothing. Really? Get a copy of an annual report from any publicly held corporation. Is their an opinion letter? Of course there is. If the city of Salisbury was held to the same standards (Sarbanes - Oxley), certain members of the city administration would be facing indictment.
The law is the law. If Mayor Tilghman doesn't feel the necessity to obey, much less enforce, the law then why should the common citizenry? Financial statements sans an opinioin letter are not the same thing as audited financial statements; unless you're the type of politician who wants to "define what is means".
Last month Ms. Oland and Mr. Geary kept trying to gloss over the sheer incompetence of the city administration by claiming that the audit was being done on time and that it would be ready that month. Well folks, it's now 2008 and it's still not complete. This will at least the third year in row that the audit has been carried over into the next calendar year. Perhaps the Mayor will give every city taxpayer 3+ months lee-way in paying their taxes this year as well.
Crossposted in Delmarva Dealings
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4 comments:
State officials could care less about whether the audit is timely -- have they ever penalized anyone?
Suggest looking at Barrie's proposed capital improvement plan and other more meaningful mischief being perpetrated while public attention is being diverted by this version of the annual audit saga.
And besides, Louise Smith is an auditor-guru, so the City is in good hands (ROTFLMAO).
I knew it was to good to be true. This administration has done nothing, absolutely nothing other than screw the taxpayers. Thanks for verifying that the accountants hadn't signed off on this yet. I knew this was not possible.
I hope it is late again next year. I also hope that they try and hold up the budget again like they did for the last election. Then after the elcection they announced a very unpopular tax hike.
This should be a reminder to all citizens and voters, how this administration just doesn't understand the concept of accountability.
Somebody isn't getting the job done and that is all there is to it!
Diversion is what the city's "administrative" (using the term loosely) does best.
And they are aided by the DT> witness the headlines on any given day.
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