State auditor offers assistance with city audit
August 22, 2010
New Mexico’s state auditor Hector Balderas sent a letter earlier this month offering to help the City of Belen take a closer look at its books during its annual audit.
Despite an effort by Councilor Jerah R. Cordova to get a more comprehensive look at the city’s finances to assess the legality of specific transactions and to help the city figure out what went wrong in previous years that led to a more than $3.5 million deficit, there’s been little positive reception to looking into some transactions.
“I appreciate the Council’s interest in the City’s financial audit process and my office stands ready to assist you should you need additional guidance,” Balderas writes in response to Cordova’s effort to engage the state auditor in this year’s annual audit process.
Cordova has requested this year’s audit include an assessment of specific transactions, such as leases of city property, among other things.
The audit will take place next month and primarily assess the 2009-2010 fiscal year, which closed on June 30.