Will Fresno’s finance director lose his job? Special meeting called for Thursday
The Fresno City Council on Thursday will hold a special closed session meeting to consider the employment of the city controller.
Two City Hall sources told The Bee the city controller’s job is on the line.
The special meeting and evaluation was requested by Mayor Jerry Dyer and City Manager Georgeanne White.
The City Controller, Michael Lima, oversees the finance department and manages accounting, financial administration and reporting, budgeting, internal audits, treasury/cash management, investments, payroll, billing and accounts receivable, accounts payable, purchasing, reproduction and graphics, and business licenses and cashiering.
“Overall responsibility for management of the city’s finances rests with the Finance Director/Controller who also serves as the City Treasurer,” the city’s website says.
Lima’s employment agreement with the city was updated in July. He earns an annual base salary of $189,500. He’s worked for the city of Fresno for nearly three decades.
While the city manager has authority over the city controller’s employment, the agreement calls for City Council approval.
If Lima is terminated, he’s entitled to six months’ pay as severance.
News of the the special meeting comes about six months after The Fresno Bee revealed the city of Fresno was scammed out of more than $600,000 through a falsified construction invoice in 2020 — nearly two years earlier.
Then-Mayor Lee Brand’s administration decided not to disclose the fraud because the FBI was investigating. The Fresno City Attorney’s Office, in late 2021, denied The Bee’s public records request about the incident. Councilmember Miguel Arias in March confirmed the case to The Bee, and Dyer then shared additional details.
The FBI believes a criminal operation linked to the West African countries of Nigeria and Liberia is using U.S. residents to defraud American government agencies, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said previously.
This story was originally published September 28, 2022 at 1:55 PM.