Vineyard implementing financial change while welcoming new City Council

VINEYARD — Big change is on the horizon for Vineyard with an almost entirely brand new City Council and a focus on financial transparency after an audit last year revealed inaccurate reporting on transactions.

Zack Stratton was sworn in as Vineyard's new mayor on Tuesday. He defeated Mardi Sifuentes, who had served on the City Council for many years and was backed by the former Mayor Julie Fullmer.

Despite only three new council members being elected, the council actually has four new faces: David Lauret, Parker McCumber and Jacob Wood, who were sworn in on Tuesday, plus Ezra Nair, who was chosen to replace Councilwoman Sara Cameron after she resigned in November.

Nair, the current Utah County administrator and former Vineyard city manager, initially ran for City Council in the municipal general election but didn't get enough votes at the time to secure a seat. Since the City Council role is part-time, Nair plans to remain as the administrator for Utah County while on the council.

In a city that has had its fair share of controversy in the last few years, the new council could mean significant changes for the approximately 6.5-square-mile city that is one of the fastest growing in the state. The latest challenge for the council will be restoring trust with the community over financial documentation.

Financial audits

Last June, the city was under scrutiny when the State Auditor's Office released a report saying Vineyard officials had failed to report "substantial" transactions, totaling more than $35 million in the last four years. The audit found that there were significant discrepancies in what the city reported to Transparent Utah compared to the city's general ledger.

The audit conducted a limited review of financial transactions and contractual agreements related to Vineyard's Redevelopment Agency from January 2018 to March 2025. The Redevelopment Agency is a separate legal entity from the city, but the City Council runs the agency board, and the agency reports its financial activities as part of the city.

After the auditor's office requested in May that the city replace the transparency information uploaded for all the years in question, the city complied, and the new transaction records matched the general ledger.

Fullmer said the audit findings gave the city a "constructive opportunity to enhance already-strong systems of fiscal stewardship and public engagement."

Jacob Holdaway, the sole remaining council member from the previous council, was the main proponent behind the audit last year. He said the city government "chose secrecy over accountability," which is just one of many accusations he has leveled at the other elected officials in the city since taking office in 2024.

In December, the city announced it "proactively engaged independent auditors" to help evaluate the city's processes and internal procedures. An audit committee was formed to initiate a comprehensive review of financial protocols "to help build trust and bolster our day-to-day practices."

"As a young community, we have been building departments, hiring staff, expanding teams and implementing policy, at the same time that we continue to deliver core services to residents. With growth at this pace, maintaining fully documented and consistently updated policies and practices across all areas is our priority," Vineyard finance director Kristie Bayles said.

These independent audits help the city officials be "responsible stewards" of taxpayer dollars while implementing financial practices that are "transparent, efficient and sustainable," she said.

An independent audit from Dec. 10 looked into purchase card transactions, employee travel and reimbursements, cash handling, utility billing and meter verification, redevelopment agency payments and transfer station controls, food procurement and vehicle assignment and usage during 2023 and 2024.

The report found several instances where no formal policy or documented procedure existed for certain financial processes, such as food-related purchases, usage of fuel cards for city vehicles or reimbursement for redevelopment agency payments. Other findings included a lack of reimbursement forms being completed or an inconsistency in how payments are reported.

Fixing policy gaps

In a response to the audit, city treasurer Zack Adams said the observations "warrant review and corrective attention," saying it is important to address those items to be more operationally effective.

In order to strengthen internal processes, Adams listed many "high-priority" tasks the city's financial department would work on to improve, from writing a formal city vehicle use policy for the incoming council to review, to new policies for purchase cards, requirements for transaction approvals and updated city travel policies.

The finance department will "monitor the implementation of corrective actions to ensure their effectiveness and sustainability. If necessary, additional improvements may be introduced. We remain committed to transparent communication and will provide updates as required," Adams said.

Bayles explained that the audits helped analyze policies that needed to be formalized or strengthened. The audits are a valuable tool to ensure the city can grow properly through best practices and ensure taxpayer dollars are managed with integrity, she said.

"Our team has implemented many things we have found and will continue to create policy to control for the observations found that will create improvements in our services, including purchasing controls, approval and documentation requirements, travel and fuel card policies, oversight and separation of duties, and frameworks for future growth challenges," Bayles said.

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