JONESBORO, La. (KNOE 8 News) - The state met the town of Jonesboro in court in an effort to appoint an independent fiscal administrator.
Jonesboro is in a fiscal emergency, according the Attorney General Buddy Caldwell.
The town's audits from 2009-2011, have not only been delinquent, but marked with a disclaimer from a CPA. Each disclaimer warns that the audit is unsatisfactory in some way, for instance, funds according to records and actual bank accounts don't match up.
Eric Sloan, Director of Compliance and Advisory for the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, testified that he's never seen another city have this many consecutive audits with a disclaimer attached in his 12 years on the job.
The state is attempting to appoint an independent fiscal administrator to oversee the town's finances, but according to Jonesboro Mayor Leslie Thompson, all the issues were resolved last year.
"The business that we are discussing today, it's all up to 2010, that's what they are talking about today," says Thompson, "So after 2011, having entered into an agreement to correct those things, we don't understand why the legislative auditors are not making reference to that."
In court Monday, reference was made to the efforts made by Jonesboro. In 2011 the town entered into a contract with a CPA firm and the legislative auditor in hopes to resolve issues from previous years, update accounting software, and train the staff.
When the hired CPA was called to the stand, it was revealed that all goals could not be reached within the span of the original contract, and Jonesboro had to extend it into 2012.
Tuesday, the current clerk was called to the stand to testify that the town was up-to-date with all bill payments. At a closer look by the Attorney General's Office, the documents used as proof were missing key elements.
This was only more proof to the state that Jonesboro was not yet self-sufficient and still in need of a state-appointed chief financial officer.
Neither side made closing arguments, but they did agree to send final memorandums to the judge by Friday, and then a verdict can be reached.
