McComb city administrator recommends dropping longtime auditor to cut costs
MCCOMB - The McComb city administrator has recommended the Board of Mayor and Selectmen/Selectwomen terminate its contract with auditing firm Booker Tamper and hire Bridger CPA at a fixed annual fee.
At the board's Aug. 4 work session, the city administrator, whose exact identity was not confirmed on the record, told the board, "I am making the recommendation that we terminate their relationship with Booker Tamper... and sign a contract with Bridger CPA for a fixed fee of $65,000 per year, which would save us an estimated $330,000 a year." The recommendation followed a review of the city's audit spending. The board did not vote on the item at the work session; it is expected to come up for approval at a future meeting.
City figures cited during the session show McComb has paid Booker Tamper $293,948.60 to date for the 2021 and 2022 audits, with a further $55,845 invoice pending a budget amendment. That works out to an average annual rate of roughly $146,974.30, compared with Bridger CPA's proposed $65,000 flat fee — a difference the administrator's own figures put at $327,000 to $330,000 a year in potential savings.