After discussing the issue for almost 90 minutes Tuesday night (Dec. 5), the Fort Smith Board of Directors agreed to spend up to $15,000 on an external auditor to resolve a $24,000 dispute with Fort Smith Animal Haven.
The board approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with Chicago-based Baker Tilly US to review the Fort Smith Animal Haven Audit. The city’s internal audit of the Fort Smith Animal Haven was made public in June. The 200-plus page internal audit stated that the shelter has overcharged and inappropriately charged the city for services. The goal of the audit was to determine if the city was being correctly charged for animal services and evaluating if city protocols were being followed. The city contracts with Fort Smith Animal Haven to take care of lost or abandoned animals.
The audit originally stated that the shelter had overcharged the city $102,000. That number was reduced to $42,852 after the city’s internal auditor, Tracey Shockley, and representatives from Fort Smith Animal Haven met and reviewed listed inconsistencies, according to a November email to the Fort Smith Audit Committee referenced by Director and Vice Mayor Jarred Rego…
