La Crosse city council overrides mayor veto, will spend up to $30k on parks rec. audit

There will be an audit of the La Crosse parks and rec. department after all.

The city council on Thursday night voted to override La Crosse Mayor Tim Kabat’s veto of a plan to spend up to $30,000 on an external audit of the department over the last three years.

Council member Gary Padesky was among those supporting the mayor and expressing concern about raiding the city’s reserves to pay for, what he sees as, an unnecessary audit.

“We’re starting to treat the reserves like a 6-year-old with a piggy bank and a hammer, who broke it open and he’s got coins to run to the candy store every day,” Padesky said.

Critics of the department have questioned how it spends money and uses donations for specific parks projects and, more specifically how it shuffles donations among big projects.

Addressing the council, Kabat chastised members for not understanding that the department was operating properly under city rules.

“The question is, under whose authority does a department get to hire architects or professional services?” Kabat said. “And, the answer to that is it’s under your authority.”

Kabat contends an internal audit by the city’s finance department would answer any questions about the parks department.

Supporters want more accountability from the department. Some council members want more oversight on spending. Kabat has a dim view of that.

“If we’re going to get to the point where the council is going to micromanage every single line item, I think that’s a recipe for a poor organization,” Kabat said.

Backers of the audit maintained that an external audit is the only way to restore public faith in the parks department. Backers like council member Doug Happel.

“A question was asked,” Happel said at Thursday’s meeting. “Now, questions came from constituents calling council members. But, when a question is asked, it needs an answer.”