Adelanto hires consultants to catch up on years of overdue audits

Adelanto officials voted May 22 to hire outside consultants to bring the city’s long‑overdue financial audits up to date and to provide short‑term finance oversight.

The council approved resolution 24‑40 to retain Rogers, Anderson, Melody & Scott LLP for audit work in an amount not to exceed $160,000 and resolution 24‑42 to hire Cosmont Financial Services for finance‑consulting services not to exceed $60,000. Both measures passed by voice vote.

Why it matters: Council members said current audit backlogs have blocked grant opportunities and hindered economic projects. Mayor Reyes warned the delays carry concrete costs, telling the council, “There’s potentially $5,000,000 from SBCTA that we’re gonna lose for road improvements” if audits are not completed.

The consultants’ timetable: Jacob, a lead consultant on the audit contract, told the council the firm has made rapid progress since arriving in late April and expects to issue several 2021 audits soon. “We are projecting to start the actual fiscal year 22 audit in June and hopefully having it ended by July,” Jacob said, adding that the team hopes to complete audits through fiscal year 2023 by year‑end depending on contract scope and cooperation from staff.

Council reaction and oversight: Council members emphasized speed and accountability. Councilman Mesa said the city needed “the best people for the job” rather than the lowest bidder, and Mayor Pro Tem Ramos pressed for a sense of urgency, urging consultants to escalate communication if staff are unresponsive.

Next steps: City staff said they will work with the consultants to set firm milestones and return to council if additional authority or funding is required. The contracts were presented as a stopgap to allow the city to qualify for regional grants and move pending infrastructure projects forward.