Report could frown on some procedures, regulations – Town Clerk
The final report of the Office of the Auditor General into alleged anomalies in the management of the finances of the Georgetown municipality ordered by the City Council in January is due to be handed over shortly, “perhaps even in a matter of days,” according to Town Clerk Beulah Williams.
Speaking with Stabroek Business earlier this week Williams said that the Council had already been in receipt of a preliminary probe report which had raised number of issues some of which necessitated clarification. While the Town Clerk declined to disclose details of the preliminary findings of the Auditor General’s probe she said that it was likely that the findings of the final report would be shared with the media.
City Hall has been criticized by government over allegations of profligate spending and failure to create effective mechanisms for revenue collection while promised initiatives by the municipality to get tough with errant rate payers do not appear to have borne much fruit.
Last January Mayor Green affixed his signature to minutes of a meeting of Council assenting to the probe into several operational aspects of the City Treasury including alleged unauthorized payments, lack of accountability, anomalies associated with reconciliation of accounts and the operation of the municipality’s Information Technology system. This newspaper understands that some of the terms of reference of the probe have been the subject of differences of opinion among senior City Hall officials.
Williams said that as far as she was aware the actual enquiry was now complete and that it only remained for the Office of the Auditor General to submit its final findings.
During the course of the enquiry City Treasurer Roderick Edinboro was sent on leave on the advice of the audit officials and Stabroek Business understands that the manner in which this was handled has also sparked differences inside City Hall. Edinboro is now back on the job.
Asked if the preliminary report may have provided any indication of likely fraud the Town Clerk told Stabroek Business that she felt that it was proper to await the final report of the probe rather and to allow it to make its own pronouncements on the findings. However, Williams said that the contents of the preliminary report suggested that the final report could raise issues relating to the administration of finances and regulations and procedures associated with spending. Williams said that she believed that any recommendations made by the Auditor General’s Office that could help bring about enhanced and effective financial administration at City Hall would be welcome.
