Town expands audit to include found account

Baldwin aldermen went into executive session Thursday to consider an expansion of the town’s annual fiscal audit.
Legal counsel Joseph Tabb said when Mayor Donna Lanceslin and Police Chief Harry Smith Jr. took office in January that “the Baldwin Police Department had a checking account, and it’s my understanding that it had never been audited, for whatever reason.”
Tabb said that discovery led to a meeting with the town’s CPA. The account had been closed in December at the end of the previous administration. “Normally the audit stops at the middle of the year,” Tabb said. “Since this account was closed in December, the consensus was to expand the annual audit for that account only, to let them audit that period.”
The board would need to approve that audit expansion, Tabb said.
He added that, “Due to possible litigation and personnel issues associated with this account because it’s never been audited, I recommend you go in executive session to discuss those issues.”
The board did enter session for about 10 minutes. When they returned, the audit expansion was approved.
Also Thursday, the board approved an ordinance changing meeting times to 6 p.m. rather than 7 p.m.
Alderwoman Margaret “Faye” Coleman announced that the town beautification committee would meet on Feb. 24 at the community center due to Mardi Gras moving up the regular committee date.
Reserve and part-time police officers David Robertson, Daniel Kelly, Robert Champagne, Clarence Clark and Mitchell Hudson were administered the oath of office by Tabb.
Also taking the oath were dispatchers Gwendolyn Robertson, Crystal Bell Carr and Connie Bowser, as well as full time officers Willie Hawkins and Dedra Lewis.