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MINUTES <br />CITY COUNCIL <br />DECII'4BER 20, 1995 <br />services provided by Tautges, Redpath, he would support <br />looking at changing auditors. However, this is not the <br />case. <br />Pedersen pointed out that the function of an auditor is <br />to go over the city's existing records and determine <br />whether they meet certain guideline or not. <br />Morelan noted that the auditor also reviews the City' <br />management practice and given the Council an opinion <br />whether or not staff is doing a good job. <br />Fahey felt that it was more than saying the City ha <br />done the necessary financial work and has qualified <br />personnel. It is also a question of a firm that <br />specializes in municipal audit and has a wider range of <br />experience. Fahey stated that there is a difference in <br />the experience Tautges has versus what Olsen Theilen <br />has. Fahey stated that he understands Dennis Carson's <br />concerns with on-going fees, but pointed out that those <br />fees have decreased to a manageable level. <br />The City Administrator reported that some of the fees <br />were associated with unique, one-time projects. <br />Tautges conducted a debt study for the City before it <br />had the ability to do such a study in-house. They also <br />conducted an analysis of the MSA fund that recaptured <br />past bond interest and alerted the City to the <br />developer deposit situation. The studies conducted by <br />Tautges have resulted in some very important <br />accomplishments for the City. <br />The Administrator stated that he did not know the <br />accounting standards on the issue of independence, <br />noting that he is as independent as they come in that <br />he is not financially involved in the decision. The <br />Administrator stated that it is his job to provide <br />whatever is in the best interests of the City. The <br />Administrator stated that Olsen Theilen is a very <br />competent firm. However, their municipal experience <br />did not compare to the other firms which were <br />considered. That was very apparent in the interview <br />process. The Administrator indicated that he did not <br />contact Olsen Theilen to give them an opportunity to <br />lower their price. If the recommendation had been to <br />hire a;firm other than Tautges, the Administrator <br />reported that his recommendation would have been to <br />hire MMKR, not Olsen Theilen. MMKR has a significant <br />amount of municipal experience and their price was very <br />competitive. Given the many years of service provided <br />by Tautges, the Administrator felt they should have the <br />opportunity to lower their fee. The Administrator <br />12 <br />