The town of Minto has changed auditing firms.
On Nov. 7 council approved the appointment of Listowel-based Ward and Uptigrove as the town’s auditors for the next three years.
Harriston-based accountant Dave Richenback has provided auditing service to the town since amalgamation in 1999.
Richenback recently sold his business to Ward and Uptigrove.
Treasurer Gord Duff said the company has indicated Richenback will remain with the firm and will be a part of this year’s audit.
Duff said council had the choice of accepting Ward and Uptigrove’s proposal to audit the 2017 books for $22,000, with the price rising by $1,000 in each of the next two years, or call for proposals.
Richenback’s charge for the 2016 audit was $19,600.
“We have gone to tender before. Dave was always quite reasonable and a big factor in council’s mind is it was a Minto firm,” said Duff.
“It’s no longer a Minto firm, but they have pledged to maintain the Harriston office and even the Mount Forest office for a period.”
Duff suggested the proposed pricing is “probably pretty reasonable,” given there are “so few firms now that are into municipal auditing.”
Council approved a bylaw appointing Ward and Uptigrove as the town’s auditing firm for 2017 to 2019.
CELP on the move
HARRISTON – Minto will provide facilities for an environmental leadership program at the local high school.
Norwell District Secondary School recently learned the Camp Wyoka facilities north of Clifford, where the school’s Community Environmental Leadership (CELP) program has operated from for several years, is being sold.
The school expressed interest in using the area in and around the Harriston Arena and the adjacent Greenway Trail area.
At the Nov. 7 meeting, council approved a Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee recommendation to enter into an agreement with Norwell for the use of facilities in the spring of 2018 at a fee to be negotiated.
LaunchIt tenant
HARRISTON – LaunchIt Minto has a new tenant.
At the Nov. 7 meeting, Minto council approved a six-month lease agreement to provide office space to Kathleen Barry, owner of Kit Kat Photography.
The lease for the space in the business incubator, run jointly by the Town of Minto and the Minto Chamber of Commerce, runs until May 31, 2018.
Rent for the six-month period is $1,300.
