Bookkeeping system to be revised in Calabasas

After taking office in April, Calabasas City Councilman Barry Groveman has abstained from voting on warrant registers during regular council meetings.

Why?

A recent dilemma regarding allegations of $3 million possibly missing from the general fund and another in which outside consultants presented the city with invoices for services the council hadn’t approved are why. Groveman said the warrant register system—the city’s checkbook—must be improved in Calabasas.

The city’s bookkeeping isn’t understandable and the council can’t identify legitimate expenses from potentially fraudulent billings, according to Groveman.

During last week’s council meeting, councilmembers discussed a better way of doing things. The council unanimously agreed that the finance department must provide an improved warrant register.

"It’s really a goal to have the finance department suggest things," Groveman said during the meeting. He invited city staff members to share their ideas on improving the system so that it’s detailed and understandable.

Groveman previously said the warrant register neither identifies categories of a particular expense, nor the purpose of the expenditure nor the department head or individual who authorized the payment. The existing system fails, too, to justify expenses with approved budget categories, according to Groveman. The new bookkeeping system should accomplish all of those things, Groveman said.

At each council meeting, councilmembers vote on the warrant register. Since Groveman’s first day on the council, he’s abstained from voting on it. And not until the system is improved will he vote, Groveman said.

The finance department has been instructed to act on the matter immediately.

Mayor James Bozajian said he expects a revised warrant register will be presented to the council at next Wednesday night’s meeting.

—Michael Picarella