PRESIDIO COUNTY – The board of the Presidio County Appraisal District held a special meeting last week to select a new auditor to conduct its fiscal 2020 yearly audit. The district received three bids from various firms throughout the state, but ultimately settled on Gibson Ruddock Patterson out of El Paso.
As The Big Bend Sentinel previously reported, the district’s longtime auditor, Doak Painter, pulled out of this most recent audit, citing his lack of faith in the chairman of the appraisal board, Presidio Mayor John Ferguson. At the time, the chief appraiser for the district, Cynthia Ramirez, said that Painter’s sudden departure would most likely cause the district to not be able to submit its audit in a timely fashion to the state.
Board Member Ann Dunlap liked Gibson Ruddock Patterson (GRP), as the firm had a plan with how to deal with the district falling behind. “We all have to be careful when we see a really good presentation because sometimes it’s just a slick department, but in reading through it, the thing that really struck me was that they had a plan,” she said. “They had a plan about how to deal with being somewhat behind in getting started, and still having our audit prepared.”
According to Ramirez, GRP is a paperless firm, which will expedite the auditing process. “The audit can be done remotely, saving time for both the district and GRP. They will contact the previous auditor and review prior audit files if necessary,” she said.
Many board members liked the idea of having GRP take over, as the firm is well-acquainted with the area. The firm has worked with the Brewster County Appraisal District, Presidio County, Brewster County, the City of Alpine and the Jeff Davis County Appraisal District.
“The one thing that did catch my attention, that GRP firm has worked with so many entities right here in the tri-county,” Ferguson said. Board Member Yoseff Ben-Yehuda also endorsed GRP for the same reason.
Gibson Ruddock Patterson estimates it will cost $8,000 to conduct the audit, $2,500 more than what Painter charged. The ballpark price provided by GRP was middle of the road; the other two bids came in at $7,000 and $10,000.
Board Member Teresa Nunez abstained from the vote as she works for the Brewster County Appraisal District, which is audited by GRP. All other members voted in favor of hiring GRP.
Ramirez said that if GRP is able to begin the process in July, as the timeline stated, the district will hopefully not fall behind in submitting the audit this year.
