Crockett council votes to hire outside experts and special counsel to review forensic audit findings

The Crockett City Council voted at its April meeting to engage an independent expert and special legal counsel to oversee a review of forensic audit findings and to recommend corrective actions.

A council member moved that the city hire an external expert and special counsel to “determine responsible parties and present a recommended corrective action plan,” language echoed by council when the motion was seconded and called for a vote. The motion carried.

Council documents and discussion referenced a group of attorneys named in the motion record as “Denton, Navarro, Rodriguez, Bernal, Santos, and Zach” as potential counsel to consult on the review. City staff said the scope includes oversight of internal affairs aspects of the forensic audit and producing a written corrective-action recommendation for the council.

The council did not provide a dollar amount or a schedule for the engagement during the meeting. The motion directs staff to proceed with securing the outside expert and counsel; further details, including contract terms and any public reporting schedule, were not specified at the meeting.

The hire follows earlier council discussion of audit-related issues and was framed by members as a necessary step to identify responsibility and prescribe remedies rather than relying on internal staff alone.