State Auditor comes to agreement with City of Manly on 14 discrepancies

MANLY — The State Auditor today released an agreed-upon procedures report on the City of Manly after his office found 14 findings related to the receipt and disbursement of taxpayer funds.

Rob Sand says the findings address issues from a time period between July 2019 and June 2020 such as a lack of segregation of duties, the lack of utility system reconciliations, disbursements exceeding budgeted amounts, transfers between funds not always being approved, a deficit balance and separately maintained Fire Department accounts which should be included in the city’s financial records and monthly and annual financial reports.

Nine of those 14 findings discussed were repeated from the prior fiscal year.

Among the findings include that Mayor Regan Banks was overpaid during that time period. Banks salary is $2400 per year plus $50 for each regular city council meeting and $25 for each special council meeting. Banks was paid $150 for attending three city council meetings that were cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Banks was also chastised by Sand’s report for using city funds to pay for pizza for lifeguards at the city’s aquatic center, saying that may not meet the requirements of public purpose since the public benefits to be derived have not been clearly documented. Sand adds that the line to be drawn between a proper and an improper purpose is very thin.

You can see a full copy of Sand’s report by clicking here