Parish Council rejects auditor change

By Harlan Kirgan Editor

A Eunice auditing office is to continue its work with St. Landry Parish Government after a bid to request proposals was turned aside at Wednesday’s Parish Council meeting in Opelousas.
The move came as an $800,000 deficit surfaced at the meeting.
On a 7-5 vote the Parish Council voted against soliciting proposals from accounting firms and in a 8-4 vote vote directed the Parish President Bill Fontenot to retain current auditor Darnall, Sikes, Gardes & Frederick.
Fontenot contended Darnall and Sikes, which operates from an office in Eunice, is needed to straighten out the parish’s day-to-day accounting procedures along with consultants Going, Sebastien, Fisher & LeBouef, an Opelousas audit firm.
Darnall and Sikes has been parish government’s auditor for about 15 years and has the background knowledge to assist the Opelousas firm.
Fontenot cited mandated expense increases, along with worker compensation insurance, capital outlays and personnel costs as reasons for a deficit.
Mandated cost-relief will be sought from the district attorney, clerk of court and judiciary, he said.
Fontenot said 15 full-time employees may be cut depending on the outcome of the discussions.
If reductions are necessary they would be made in the fourth quarter, he said.
“... I need to have these two teams working together,” Fontenot said.
Earlier this month, the council’s Administrative-Finance committee also requested Fontenot obtain a letter from the Going firm attesting to its need to retain Darnall and Sikes.
A statement from Going that backed retaining Darnall and Sikes was read at the meeting.
Parish finances have become a point of conflict between Fontenot and Parish Council Chairman Harold Taylor.
“I submit to you that we’ve got a mess on our hands and we need to go forward with the RFP,” Taylor said at Wednesday’s meeting.
In July, Steve Moosa of Darnall, Sikes, delivered an audit with 15 findings that included sloppy bookkeeping such as miscoding entries.
But Darnall, Sikes came under fire from some council members for the state of the books.
An advertisement for proposals from certified public accounting firms was published on Sept. 7 stating the proposals must be submitted by Sept. 26.
Taylor said the home rule charter gives the council the power to hire the auditor.
On Wednesday, council members Alvin Stelly, Wayne Ardoin, Jimmie Edwards, Nancy Carriere and Ken Marks voted to accept proposals to perform the parish audit. Voting against accepting the proposals were Vivian Olivier, Dexter Brown, Timmy Lejeune, Coby Clavier, Jerry Red, Madeline Taylor and Mildred Thierry.
Voting to cancel the request for the auditing RFP were Olivier, Brown, Lejeune, Edwards, Clavier, Red, Taylor and Thierry. Voting “No” were Ardoin, Carriere, Marks and Stelly.
That 8-4 vote was repeated in allowing the president to sign a letter of engagement with Darnall and Sikes.

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