MARSHFIELD — Officials are exploring a townwide efficiency audit as they look for ways to improve operations, identify opportunities for greater efficiency and strengthen oversight across municipal government.
The discussion took place during the May 28 Select Board meeting, where Interim Town Administrator Peter Morin outlined several types of audits available to the town and described how performance reviews could help officials evaluate departments, spending practices and operational efficiency.
Morin told board members that the town already undergoes an annual financial audit required by the state and said he does not currently see evidence that would justify a forensic investigation focused on potential fraud or criminal activity. Instead, he said performance audits and stronger internal reviews could provide the most value.
Morin said performance audits conducted by outside organizations can help evaluate municipal operations, while internal audits involve reviewing financial data already available to town officials.
"Performance audits would be valuable to look at certain departments to see what we can do better and you can get those done for small money or for no money depending on how much depth that you want to go into," Morin said.
Morin said performance audits could be conducted through regional planning organizations or outside groups such as the Collins Center at UMass Boston. He said the reviews examine municipal processes and can help identify inefficiencies and areas where safeguards or procedures could be improved.
Using examples ranging from cash handling procedures to permit collections and financial reporting, Morin said a performance audit can help determine whether safeguards are in place and whether operations are functioning as intended.
"So a performance audit will look at your processes to make sure that your processes are best practices and aren't leaking, aren't inefficient," Morin said.
The discussion grew out of earlier conversations about municipal finances and accountability. Morin said towns should routinely conduct internal reviews by examining financial reports, monitoring revenue collections and tracking spending patterns throughout the year.
Select Board member Eric Kelley expressed support for a performance audit, emphasizing that he viewed it as a review of the entire municipal operation rather than an examination of any single department.
"This should be a town-wide thing. 100%," Kelley said.
Kelley said he was interested in identifying opportunities to improve operations and financial management throughout government, including schools and the Department of Public Works.
"What I'm looking at. It's like where can we do better, especially financial situations that in our operations within town hall, but outside of town hall, like the DPW and the schools in regards to having that study and then having a nice clean report come back, 'Hey, this is what you could do to improve your efficiencies,'" Kelley said.
Chair Rick Smith agreed that any performance audit should extend beyond Town Hall and include major municipal operations. He said the effort would be more effective if all departments participated.
"It's the whole town. And I think that we'd get support from both DPW and schools to participate in that because we all need to be," Smith said.
As part of the discussion, Kelley also asked whether the assessor's office had undergone a review to ensure property valuations were being applied fairly. Morin responded that the Massachusetts Department of Revenue already reviews local assessments annually and compares them with market values to ensure they remain within accepted standards.
Before any audit proposal moves forward, Smith asked Morin to gather information on potential costs, timelines and available providers. Morin said he could contact other communities to determine what types of audits they have conducted and what they paid for those services.
"I can put out an email to other town administrators in the region and they'll come back to me with what they paid and how long they took," Morin said.
Smith said he wanted additional information on costs, timelines and providers before the board holds a more substantial discussion on how to proceed.
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