A familiar audit firm will perform its services for Flossmoor in fiscal year 2023, but with new names at the helm.
The Flossmoor Village Board voted unanimously the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 17, to retain Sikich as its audit firm, while switching to a new audit partner, Brian LeFevre, and a new audit manager, Lindsey Fish. The cost for FY23 is $41,405.
Flossmoor Finance Director Scott Bordui said the reasons for his recommendation included Sikich offering an “elite high level of service and expertise,” a reasonable cost, the highest number of partner hours of any proposal, “excellent” references, “valuable” non-audit services and continuity. He also cited the partner and manager rotation, which provides a fresh audit team for a “new look” at the village’s audit.
“Our audit firm has been a very important partner to our overall success over all the years here,” Bordui said. “We feel it’s important to maintain an elite level of service and expertise in our audit firm.”
Fiscal year 2022 marks the last of a three-year contract with Sikich approved under pandemic circumstances, and the village issued a Request for Proposal for the next four fiscal years. A total of five firms submitted proposals for the contract, with three being named finalists before the recommendation to rehire Sikich, according to a report by Bordui.
“I’m glad that we went out and did the research,” Trustee James Mitros said. “They’ve been so good over the years; it’s been a really good combination. But I’m really happy to see that we are switching out the managing partners. We do need a new set of eyes.”
The village’s auditor prepares the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report; management letter and required board communication; custom report covers, dividers and spines; a single audit report, if required; Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards for the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act, if needed; and a Tax Increment Financing Compliance Report, if required. It also assists the village with implementation of new Governmental Accounting Standards Board standards; meets with elected officials to present the audit; prepares and files the Annual State Comptroller’s Report; and reviews and assists with the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Achievement application, according to a report from Bordui.
The approval guarantees the first year of services, and the village has the option to renew Sikich for the subsequent three fiscal years as long as the reporting is satisfactory, according to Bordui.
Board lauds Berry Lane project, MLK Day of Service
Mitros praised the Berry Lane Drainage Improvements project during the meeting, noting he has driven down that road multiple times.
“That is just simply stunning,” he said. “It’s an outstanding job. It makes me so proud of what we’ve done with the permeable pavers.”
Several other trustees echoed the praise for the completed project. Board members also praised the village’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service projects .
“I was so proud of our community,” Trustee Gary Daggett said. “The whole village was electric with everything going on. It was very cool to see people getting involved. … People have really bought into using that time to honor Dr. King’s memory and serve the community.”
Trustee Rosalind Mustafa noted she had never sanded wood for four hours straight until joining the village’s Sleep in Heavenly Peace bed build on Jan. 14. But she said it was amazing, and she is looking forward to doing it again, despite finding sanding dust under three layers of clothing.
“It was worth it,” she said. “It was great.”
Mayor provides update on state investigation of police response to Madeline Miller
Mayor Michelle Nelson provided a brief update on the Illinois State Police investigation into a Flossmoor police response that led to the death of Madeline Miller in July 2022.
She noted she got a call from someone at ISP on Jan. 13, who said the department has turned materials over to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office, which marks the end of the first step and the beginning of the second in a three-part process, Nelson said. The representative would not share what those reports contained, but the State’s Attorney’s Office is expected to “expedite” them, Nelson said.
“We’re getting there,” she said. “We passed the first of three steps and hope the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office can get to us sooner rather than later.”
Other business
● The village board voted unanimously to approve its consent agenda, which included a transfer of a payment of $181,239 to the Army Corps of Engineers to settle contract overages with the Berry Lane Drainage Improvements project.
● With the consent agenda, the village board also approved a change order that reduces the overall cost of the 2022 Street Rehabilitation Project by $90,769.79. The change is because of an overall reduction in job quantities needed on the project.
● The consent agenda also included the approval of an $84,000 payment to Strand Associates for Design Engineering Services and Budget Amendment for the Brumley Road Reconstruction Project. The village received a Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant of $112,500 for roadway improvements.
● Nelson reappointed Charlene Gordon to the Art Commission for a three-year term. The village board voted unanimously to consent to the appointment. Gordon has been part of the commission since its inception in 2004.