Staff report
Woodstock Village eliminated its elected auditors in a 16-2 vote at the annual Village meeting on March 21 in favor of hiring a public accountant or auditing firm to review finances.
Though the Village has elected auditors, this year filled by Steven Stuntz, it has long hired a professional audit firm.
“The function has diminished to reviewing the audit we pay a professional auditor to do,” Trustee Jeff Khan said. “It’s a position that’s outdated and serves no real benefit to the trustees or the Village.”
This year’s audit was conducted by Mudgett Jennett & Krogh-Wisner, P.C. in Montpelier for around $15,000.
“They provide unbiased audits that are useful to us,” Khan said.
There was little discussion in the hour-long annual meeting and all articles passed.
The proposed $1,463,235.28 budget, of which $630,841.65 is to be raised by taxes, passed with two “no” votes.
The budget is up about 5% from the previous year. Most of the increases are due to salary, health care increases and fuel.
The Village also eliminated the paid trustee of public funds position, which costs $750 a year, after the current Trustee Jill Davies explained her only duty is to write a handful of checks. Next year she said she’ll write just three checks.
“I propose we don’t vote on this article,” Davies said. “It takes a couple of hours.”
The Village voted to not pay the trustee, but opted to make it a paid position in future years.
“We don’t always have a Jill Davies that’s going to be that generous,” Khan said.
Seton McIlory, who served as chair of the Trustees and William Corson were both reelected trustees with no challengers.
