Partial Elimination of CPA Advertisements for Municipalities

A municipality that hires a CPA or CPA firm to perform its annual audit in the past had to advertise that decision before the initial hiring of the audit firm and on every contract renewal.  As municipalities all know, newspaper advertisements are not cheap.  Effective January 17, 2025, Act 148 of 2024 provides that municipalities no longer need to advertise the renewals of CPA contracts.  This will save staff time and taxpayer money.  Municipalities must still advertise “the initial vote to appoint a certified or competent public accountant or a firm of certified public accountants to replace the elected auditors.”  The advertisement must be published at least 30 days prior to the vote to switch to a CPA or CPA firm.  Notably as well, Act 148 of 2024 added a requirement that a municipality must now advertise a decision to switch back to relying on only the elected Board of Auditors to perform the annual audit.