The Harwich Finance Committee moved to address a significant transparency gap regarding regional school finances on Monday, appointing a formal liaison to investigate why the Monomoy Regional School District has not published an audit on its website since 2020. The decision came during a preparatory session ahead of a joint meeting with the Select Board, where members expressed frustration over a historical lack of financial oversight and communication from both school and town leadership.

Member Mark Peterson, drawing on his professional background as an audit director, raised alarms regarding the lack of visibility into the school district’s internal controls. Peterson noted that he had never seen a management letter—a document detailing potential financial weaknesses—for either the town or the school district. I’ve never experienced the CPA firm coming to this committee to make a presentation about the position of the school district, whether it's in good financial condition, or if controls are adequate, Peterson said, adding that in his previous experience, such a lack of oversight would result in a formal "write-up" for a district. He further characterized some existing account balances as completely bogus due to a lack of responsiveness to previous financial analyses.

The committee’s concerns were confirmed by Member Mark Ameres, who performed a real-time check of the school’s digital records. On the school website, the last published audit is FY20, Ameres reported. They have 2018, 2019, and 2020, but that’s it. This revelation prompted Member Peter Hughes to suggest a more direct approach to regional cooperation. Motion Made by P. Hughes to appoint T. Games as the liaison to the Monomoy Regional School District. Motion Passed (7-0-0). Member Tina Games, who accepted the assignment, noted that as a regional district, Monomoy is subject to specific audit requirements. I am very happy to do that, Games said. I will take the assignment to see where 2021 through 2024 are.

The discussion regarding school audits mirrored broader concerns about the town’s own budget timeline and the influence of past administration. Member Dana DeCosta highlighted how the town had drifted away from charter-mandated schedules since the pandemic. We have to go back to before COVID where the charter timeline was actually followed, DeCosta said. We've been getting stuff so late since then that we've had no chance to meet with people who submitted articles or petitioners. DeCosta also lamented the historical divide between the committee and town staff, stating, We have lived with such disastrous communications between what goes on downstairs and what goes on in this room.

Hughes was more pointed in his assessment of the town’s recent administrative history, citing a true disdain for the Finance Committee from the previous Town Administrator. He noted that information flow was tightly controlled and that committee suggestions were routinely ignored. The Selectmen and the Interim Town Administrator have to rebuild that team, Hughes argued, specifically asking for more frequent updates on the status of "free cash" certification, which often delays the budget process.

Looking toward future governance reforms, Vice Chair Scott Norum questioned the availability of the town’s own audit letters, while Peterson suggested the town charter should be amended to make the Finance Director an ad hoc, non-voting member of the committee to ensure regular attendance. Chair Robert MacCready emphasized that the committee's primary goal for the upcoming budget cycle is a return to a robust version of the product delivery based on the charter’s schedule. It could make all the difference in the world if we simply delivered the products anticipated in a robust fashion based on the schedule, MacCready said.