Blandford Select Board to confront accounting firm over chronic response failures

BLANDFORD — October 28, 2024 — Blandford Select Board moves to confront its accounting firm after weeks of unanswered requests. At the October 28 meeting, Town Administrator Christina told the board she had been waiting more than five weeks for a basic account number before a pointed email triggered an immediate flood of overdue financial data — prompting her to say the firm "has this information at their fingertips" but withholds it. The firm then notified the town that senior contact Janice would be removed from the Blandford account, leaving Sean as the sole point of contact. Chair Jacqueline Coury and Member Ted Cousineau agreed to schedule a Zoom meeting with the firm's owner, Eric, and said the town would quietly research backup providers. Separately, the highway repair-parts account was reported at roughly $1,500 with winter approaching, the board authorized deficit spending in that line, and trust fund balances for Bicentennial Park maintenance remained unresolved after a resident called for a forensic audit of accounts tied to an original Winterford Arms donation.