After public concern about oversight, Portsmouth council approves three‑year extension with CLA for audits

Portsmouth City Council on June 22 authorized the city manager to execute an extension of the audit contract with accounting firm CLA for up to three years, a vote supporters said would help ensure continuity while the city transitions to a new ERP system.

Public commenter Peter Huda urged the council to preserve independent audit oversight, saying the city charter and a prior ordinance intended the audit committee to be a resident‑driven, independent source of financial expertise. Huda warned that software implementations do not create internal controls and urged a fuller scope review before committing to an audit engagement.

Councilors on the audit committee said the firm’s continuity would be valuable during the ERP conversion because an auditor familiar with the existing systems can help identify embedded control weaknesses. Councilor Maro (the audit committee chair) said the committee had evaluated options, received updated pricing and recommended continuing with CLA at a fixed escalation rate; councilor Begley argued committee members should probe audit red flags when they arise and then recommend experts for council consideration.

The council approved the contract extension; the transcript records a motion to authorize the city manager to execute the contract and the council’s approval but does not record a detailed roll‑call tally in the minutes. Council discussion referenced the committee’s unanimous recommendation in October and the updated pricing and term options presented in the meeting packet.

Next steps: the city manager will finalize the contract extension with CLA. Councilors and public commenters requested continued vigilance from the audit committee to maintain robust scope, internal control review and follow‑up, particularly during the ERP implementation.