‘Alarming’ discrepancy of $1.2 million found in town financial records
Interim Town Manager Robert Nunes, left, told the Middleboro Select Board about the discrepancy during one of his regular financial updates. Photo by Christian Uva
Interim Town Manager Robert Nunes, left, told the Middleboro Select Board about the discrepancy during one of his regular financial updates. Photo by Christian Uva
MIDDLEBORO — The town missed out on being able to use money it had because of poor bookkeeping.
Interim Town Manager Robert Nunes told the Middleboro Select Board at its Nov. 2 meeting that he found a $1.215 million discrepancy over a three-year period between the amount of money Middleboro had and the amount it recorded in its books.
Nunes said that this prevented the town from accessing free cash it would have had if that money had been properly reported in the accounting ledger.
“This is significant and concerning,” Nunes said in his report.
Discrepancies were found between the start of fiscal year 2023 in July 2022 and the end of fiscal year 2025 in June 2025. In the 2024 fiscal year alone, the discrepancy was $870,481.
Nunes said that there would also be a discrepancy for the 2026 fiscal year, which ended in June. While he did not give a total, he said it will be a “big number.”
The books had not been balanced monthly over those three years, Nunes said. He blamed the discrepancy on a lack of town government oversight and little communication between the Finance Department and the Treasurer/Collector’s Office.
He said the town needs to hire a cash reconciliation consultant to “correct historical inaccuracies.” He also said the town will require all departments to provide weekly financial reports to the Treasurer/Collector’s Office and Accounting Office to keep documentation up to date.
“I do want you all to know that we are committed to correcting these wrongs and it’s going to take some time and patience,” he said.
While Nunes did not give the Select Board a timeline for how long the reconciliation process will take, he said it would have to be finished by the end of the current fiscal year on June 30, 2027.
Select Board Chair Teresa Farley said she was “horrified” and “embarrassed” at the finding.
When asked what effect the discrepancies will have on the town’s bond rating by Select Board member Tracie Craig-McGee, Nunes responded, “Not good.”
The town’s total amount of free cash will not be certified by the state before the Nov. 9 Fall Town Meeting. This means that the town will have to draw money from the stabilization fund for financial items voted on by Town Meeting, something Nunes called “unfortunate.”
