The Wayne County Audit Committee on Thursday was told a $9,447 invoice for executive protection services had been invoiced but not paid after the underlying contract expired, and members approved steps to tighten contract oversight.

Committee staff member Carrie Theodore said the amount “had already been invoiced” but remained outstanding while the vendor awaited a new contract. Theodore told the committee the lapse went unnoticed because the county TCM system did not show the revenue contract expiration and a new contract manager who started in 2023 was not aware of the expiry. She said the office was informed of the issue after being contacted by the attorney general office.

To prevent future gaps, Theodore said staff developed an internal spreadsheet and will use a shared SharePoint location to track all contracts and related resolutions, and that a standard operating procedure will be kept in a central file. "It's just outstanding," Theodore said of the unpaid invoice, repeating that the billing had been submitted to accounts receivable.

Commissioner Gordon asked whether the county's new Oracle system could provide the recommended contract-tracking mechanism. A deputy director replied that Oracle is cloud-based and unlikely to be "patched" for the county's needs and that the county will focus on process reengineering and controls rather than depend on Oracle alone.

Staff also discussed how the Wayne County Community College contract differs from monthly billing models: the county receives a single lump-sum payment (reported to the committee as $100,000) that covers one staff position and two officers, which complicates monthly invoice tracking for that particular agreement.

After discussing corrective-action options and evidence the committee would review in follow-up reporting, Chair asked for a motion to receive and file the audit response. Commissioner Wilson moved and Commissioner Killeen seconded; the chair announced, “Motion carried.”

The committee did not receive any public comments before adjourning.