Harris holds emergency meeting to pay bills, set up 2000 audit

Posted 1/18/01

Harris holds emergency meeting to pay bills, set up 2000 audit

By Danielle Strenke

The Harris City Council held a special emergency meeting Tuesday, Jan. 9 to address a variety of issues, stemming around the resignation of the city clerk, and the subsequent findings of deficiencies in the bill payment system within the city.

Councilmembers Lyle Holm-strom and Dan Walton requested the meeting to address these issues, and also air a conflict that has arisen in the interim of the city hiring a new city clerk.

Former councilmember Marlys Cleveland, city treasurer Brenda Isaman, Irene Trent, and members of the council have been going through records of bills, payments, and other documents in the clerkís office. The result has been finding bills with late penalties attached, that were never brought before the council for payment, and others that were sent to collection.

Holmstrom also said that the three people temporarily filling in for the clerkís position had been ìgetting griefî from councilmember David Christianson, who had come in to request the status on a some payments.

ìThe people in here are trying to get things straight, thereís no way they should be taking harassment or anything else,î Holmstrom said.

Christianson defended his position, saying he was simply looking for the answer to something he had asked for several months ago, and had been promised in recent days.

ìMy point of view is the treasurer should know whatís going on with the checks,î Christianson said. The other council agreed, but said that has not been the case.

In lieu of the problems we have, we should give the people working here in the office some space,î Mayor Richard Hanson said. ìWe have a long way to go to get out of this.î

Holmstrom said the meeting was also called to authorize payment of the cityís two insurance premiums, and another on a bond on city employees, all of which are due in January.

He also wanted to set up a meeting with Thatcher Engineering, because the council has not been given a repayment schedule on bonds for the well project.

In light of the findings of discrepancies in the cityís recent audit for 1999, Holmstrom asked to have an audit of 2000 ìas soon as possible.î The motion to set up the audit was carried.

He also recognized that they are still finding outstanding bills, and related other charges. ìWe need to put our budget on hold and limit it to necessities,î he said. A motion to hold off on all unnecessary budget items was carried.

Christianson asked about a bond on the city clerk, and how much the city would be liable for paying. ìThe only thing I know is thereís a $20,000 bond for the city that covers all city employees,î Holmstrom said.

The council also approved of hiring the auditing firm of Tautges Redpath to assist the city with year-end reports, and setting up an accounting system for easy payment and tracking of bills and other charges. ìWe need to get everything set up at the first of the year so we donít get back in a mess like weíre in now,î Holmstrom said.