Virginia's auditor will step in to help Hopewell finish its required financial reports: Delegate

HOPEWELL — Virginia's auditor of public accounts agreed last week to send what its office called a "turnaround team of specialists" to speed up the city's fight against its delay in finishing up state-required financial audits.

The assistance was announced by Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chesterfield, whose House district includes Hopewell. Coyner said the help comes after four years of Hopewell government struggling to complete its yearly audits due to a variety of reasons. The previous city administration had blamed part of that delay on the COVID-19 pandemic and another part on problems with staffing issues and its computer software jibing with the state's system.

At one point, Hopewell had not submitted an audit to the state since 2015. The city has since caught up, but still is late with its most recent reports.

The audit delays had become a sore subject among members of Hopewell City Council, who often were at odds with the city administration over the issue. Councilors Jasmine Gore and Debbie Randolph were among the most vocal in getting the financial picture on track, claiming that further delays in getting the reports finished could jeopardize the city's efforts at receiving future state funding.

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In a statement, Coyner claimed Hopewell had sought help from then-Gov. Ralph Northam's administration with the audits. However, that request was rebuffed.

“When Hopewell went to the previous administration for help getting their house in order, they were told that there was nothing the Commonwealth could do,” she said, according to the statement. “It was a different story with Governor [Glenn] Youngkin’s team. They took a hard look at the problems our city faces and stepped up to help immediately.”

The team from the APA office will include members with local government experience, expertise in government accounting and reporting, and knowledge of operational processes.

Coyner said Hopewell is the second locality in the state to receive assistance from the APA office with its audits.

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Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Hopewell will get help from state to reconcile audit delay