HomeMy WebLinkAbout02252019 City Council Laydown - Iris Darling LetterIris A. Darling
207 4th Avenue – Box 149
Seward, Alaska 99664-0149
February 25, 2019
Honorable Mayor, Council Persons, City Manager and City Clerk:
Because of other commitments I am not going to be able to attend the Council Meeting tonight.
However, I want to encourage the appointments of Cara Maxwell and Michelle Cobble to our Historic
Commission. Both are well qualified and will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the
Commission to help preserve the integrity and promote the history of our great little town.
I also would like to encourage you to quit kicking the can down the road, and move forward with a
forensic audit of the entire finances, including utility billing, contracts, and any other areas that might
not be properly documented. Do not delay this please, but rather moved forward with an outside
firm that has absolutely no contact with our City. While the yearly audit, checks to make sure we are
following good accounting practices for municipalities, they are not forensic accountants.The forensic
audits have proven in many towns, cities, and private companies to be well worth the cost by saving
millions of dollars by not only finding fraud, but also outdated accounting practices that are wasting a
lot of money. The citizens of Seward have been asking for this for many years – so please don’t kick
the can further --- it is time to act. Put together a committee tonight with the new financial wizard
Sharyl Seese as chair and move forward to get us back on a good path.
I am also encouraging you to carefully evaluate the performance of our present attorney and think
you will agree it is time for a change. Put out an RFP and should the present attorney reapply, give
him equal consideration with other applicants. We deserve the best representative in the state.
Thank you for your consideration. I will bring candy next time.
Iris