Van Buren Audit Committee Addressing Finding Against Group

Van Buren Audit Committee Chair Barry Austin said the committee has taken measures to ensure it remains active.

A State Comptroller’s Office report of Van Buren County found the audit committee was not functioning. Austin said new members have been appointed to the committee made up of four residents.

“One of our members passed away, and one of our members resigned,” Austin said. “So to have a quorum we really needed four people there. We’ve been replacing those. We did get them replaced. I came on as chairman, because it was the chairman that passed away. We have rectified that situation.”

Austin said quorum issues arose when the committee was supposed to review last year’s audit and those meetings did not occur. Austin said with the committee now full, he plans to call the first meeting of the year this spring.

“I take responsibility for that,” Austin said. “I did not give them a report. It was nothing bad or anything. We just didn’t have a quorum of people at the time.”

Austin said the committee is made of four residents determined by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. Austin said members are supposed to meet twice a year to review audits and present a progress report to the full county commission.

“We’ll probably have a meeting sometime in March,” Austin said. “Then, we’ll have another meeting before probably later to discuss what we’re going to take to the county commission.”