Audit erodes trust in town leaders
How can taxpayers trust leaders who never verified the numbers before raising taxes and fees?
“The town’s in fine financial shape.”
That was Select Board member Wendy Rovelli’s assessment to me after the February 11 Audit Committee meeting — the first in more than 15 months. Her comment came immediately after auditors revealed the town went the entirety of fiscal year 2024 without a single cash reconciliation. It raises an obvious question: How can taxpayers trust leaders who never verified the numbers before raising taxes and fees?
The findings were stark. Throughout FY2024, the town operated with unknown general ledger balances. Auditors reported material weaknesses, meaning errors — or fraud — could go undetected. Journal entries were created and approved by the same individuals, revenues were misbooked, and basic safeguards had eroded. Yet leadership still pushed through higher taxes and new fees without reconciled books or verified financials.
The Select Board’s response only deepens concern. Why did they award a bonus to Town Manager Kerry Lafleur — who previously served as the town’s CFO — while awaiting an independent audit and already aware of systemic issues in prior years’ records? They then rushed to re‑up the residential tax exemption in November, after already doing so in FY2025, again without anything close to a full financial picture. How do you justify hiking taxes when you don’t even know the town’s true balances?
Taxpayers deserve transparency. How can Rovelli describe the town’s finances as “fine” when the audit showed failed controls, unknown balances, and years of unresolved issues? So many questions remain — perhaps it’s time to see whether the state auditor agrees with Ms. Rovelli that everything is “fine” in Acton.
Helen Brady
Monument Street
