Manatee County commissioners unanimously approved an outside forensic audit of county procurement and spending at their Oct. 20 meeting.

Commissioner Bob McCann proposed the audit, which could cost up to $100,000 and will examine four areas: the county's financial arrangements with The Mosaic Company, capital improvement projects with cost overruns or delays, the Light Up Manatee streetlight program and County Administrator Charlie Bishop's discretionary spending.

Bishop can make purchases of up to $500,000 without board approval, according to Your Observer, which first reported the audit approval.

McCann laid out the audit's scope in a five-page memorandum. The capital improvement review will prioritize projects with substantial cost increases, repeated amendments or unusual procurement circumstances. The Light Up Manatee review will examine whether vendor selection and contract approvals complied with applicable rules and laws.

McCann framed the audit as a way to rebuild public confidence. "The public wants an outside audit," he said. "They do not trust the people across the street (at the clerk's office) or the people in this building."

Commissioners Tal Siddique and Mike Rahn initially pushed back, arguing the inspector general through the clerk's office could perform the work without the added expense. Rahn said he had already asked the inspector general's office to audit Light Up Manatee, a program that installs streetlights in under-lit neighborhoods.

Commissioner Jason Bearden had tied one of Rahn's campaign contributions to a Light Up Manatee vendor at a prior meeting. Rahn called the implication of any impropriety "unfounded."

County staff will now issue a request for proposals to hire an audit firm. That procurement process takes 90 to 120 days, according to Your Observer.

Reprimand fails on tied vote

The same Oct. 20 meeting ended without disciplinary action against Bishop for a Sept. 1 outburst in which he told Bearden the two should "go at it."

McCann proposed a formal written reprimand as a compromise after he and Bearden said they lacked the votes to terminate Bishop. Commissioner George Kruse agreed a written reprimand was appropriate.

Commissioners Amanda Ballard, Rahn and Siddique defended Bishop, and the motion failed on what Your Observer described as a tie vote.

Bishop said he regretted his "decorum that day" but did not regret defending staff members. He said he did not intend or believe his words would lead to a physical altercation.

"My concern is that there's never any consequences for any behavior that's done here," McCann said. "That's a problem."