Waldport Answers Questions About Past Due Audits

The Waldport City Council met on Thursday, September 11th, and once again faced questions about the city's past-due audits. City Manager Dann Cutter provided the council with a detailed update on the status of the city’s overdue financial audits, addressing community concerns and outlining steps being taken to resolve the backlog. Cutter reported that the city is working closely with a new auditing firm to complete audits for the years 2021 through 2024, after terminating the previous auditor due to significant delays.

“We did change our auditor. We’re not using the auditor that took three years to release the 2020 audit,” Cutter explained. The new firm is now working through four years of financial records, a process that has required city staff to dedicate substantial time to gathering and verifying documentation. A letter from the auditor, expected to be released soon, will detail the challenges and provide a timeline for completion. Mr. Cutter reported that the draft letter for 2021 states that the auditors have found “no evidence of misappropriation, malfeasance, or any other failures on the part of the city” in their review so far.

The city anticipates that the 2021 audit will be completed within the next couple of months, with subsequent years to follow in quick succession. The 2023 audit may take longer due to a transition between accounting systems that year. To increase transparency, the city plans to post regular updates, auditor letters, and public records related to the audits on its new website. “We will have a weekly update, and then monthly, I’m going to ask them for just a quick, one-page summary,” Cutter told the council, adding that public documents will be made available for residents to review.

Council President Greg Dunn emphasized that the council shares the community’s frustration with the delays and are committed to resolving the issue as quickly as possible. “We want these audits just as fast as you guys do. It frustrates us every time that we hear that they’re not available,” Dunn said. The city’s efforts to address the audit backlog and improve transparency come amid heightened public scrutiny and a desire to restore trust in local government.