What's Happening in Lakeland, FL…

The city of Lakeland will continue to use national auditing firm Crowe Horwath for at least five more years.

On June 5, the city commissioned voted 5-2 for the contract despite critics of the decision doubting its morality. Those who voted against were commissioners Justin Troller and Bill Read. In the first year, Crowe Horwath will charge the city $168,000. The price will go up by 2.25% every year afterwards. The city can receive three extensions for one year according to the contract.

Out of the seven firms that turned in a bid, the city picked out three to choose from. Gainesville's Purvis, Cray, and Co was the runner up. They had a bid of $120,000 and some experience working with government. However, the company would not do most of the audit on location. The third choice was Clifton Larsen Allen at $150,000. It has a local office but has not worked with power utilities. Although Crowe Horwath had a bid $18,000 more than the city's third option and $48,000 more than its second choice, the firm's government auditing history and experience with utilities won the recommendation by city officials. The choice was not about the price but the best company to do the job.

Audit reports are printed with a watermark, seal, or letterhead as proof they are official and from the auditing firm.