Finance committee backs $70,000 transfer to expand grant-accounting contract

The Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates standing committee on finance voted to recommend a $70,000 transfer to expand the county’s contract with CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) to manage human-services grant accounting.

Assistant County Administrator Mary Harrick asked finance director Carol Coppola to summarize the proposal. Coppola said the county has contracted with CLA for roughly two years and now seeks to expand the firm’s role to provide grant fiscal-management services for human services.

"This would transfer funds from salaries categories with regard to grant fiscal management," Coppola said, adding the county currently contracts out some grant-management work and has two full-time grant fiscal officers on staff now.

Several delegates asked questions about staffing history and bookkeeping practice. Delegate Frizzell asked how many grant accounting staff the county currently employs; Coppola replied there are two full-time grant fiscal officers and that the county previously had four. Delegate O'Malley questioned why the appropriation is presented under the general budget rather than directly in the human services budget; Coppola replied that grant fiscal positions sit in finance and provide oversight across departments.

Delegate Frizzell moved to recommend the ordinance with minor clarifying edits to reflect budget categories; the committee seconded the motion and approved it on a roll-call vote (5–0 in favor). The committee instructed the clerk to adjust ordinance language to reference the salary and contractual service categories explicitly before forwarding the item to the full assembly.

The measure will return to the full Barnstable County Assembly for final consideration with the committee’s recommended clarifications.

Ending note: The committee proceeded to its next agenda item after the vote.