<p class="p1">WELSH — A move to appoint a new firm to oversee the town’s finances failed Tuesday after several officials said that doing so near the beginning of the annual audit would be a mistake.
<p class="p1">Alderman Colby Perry asked the council Tuesday to seek bids from other companies, saying the change could save the town money and would give a local business a shot at the contract.
<p class="p1">“I think it is rather a large expenditure and we have been using the same firm (for several years),” Perry said. “There are some local CPA firms in Jennings, and I think we should see who comes in cheaper.”
<p class="p1">The public, he said, has criticized town officials in the past for not getting bids on auditing — a service officials don’t have to seek bids for.
<p class="p1">After a lengthy discussion the council voted to retain the current accounting firm, McElroy, Quirk and Burch of Lake Charles.
<p class="p1">Mayor Carolyn Louviere and town attorney Rick Arceneaux expressed concern over the timing for seeking and awarding a bid.
{{tncms-inline alignment="center" content="&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;ldquo;Selecting an auditor is something that we have to do quickly.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;-&amp;nbsp;Mayor Carolyn Louviere&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" id="2ab137e6-14d2-451e-b227-eb2f6f95b123" style-type="quote" title="Pull Quote" type="relcontent" width="full"}}
<p class="p1">Arceneaux noted that work on the annual audit usually runs from July through November, with auditors and town employees often pushing deadlines to get the report done and submitted to the state.
<p class="p1">Delaying a decision to seek a new auditor would give the town more time to look at someone else for the next fiscal year, Louviere said.
“Continue on this this year, and in the meantime we will have more time to start looking," she said.
Louviere noted that often looking for the cheapest is not always the best. “This is too important, and this is a big important issue,” she said.
<p class="p1">Resident Jackie McGee Balmor defended the work of the current firm, saying it is among the most reputable and is familiar with town operations.
<p class="p1">“They know where to look for mistakes. They understand the workings,” she said. “They are the most qualified to do this one than anybody else.”
<p class="p1">Louviere agreed, saying the firm is “very qualified” and has worked with the town well in the past.
<p style="text-align: left;"><em>“Selecting an auditor is something that we have to do quickly.”</em>
<p style="text-align: left;"><em> – Mayor Carolyn Louviere</em>
