Irvine councilmembers are still waiting for staff to return with audit options on City Hall spending.
On May 5 in Irvine, Calif., councilmembers William Go, Melinda Liu and Kathleen Treseder asked Sean Crumby to agendize an independent audit while the city was staring at a $6 million deficit and a projected $9 million shortfall, and the council said it needed a cleaner read on the books.
Their memo also flagged City Hall renovations, federal COVID money and other spending as part of the review.
The memo read, “I respectfully request that the City Manager agendize a discussion on a potential independent audit.” The filing tied the request to the city’s newly disclosed deficit.
The council took up the request on May 12 and voted unanimously to move it forward.
“We should get a diagnosis before we start treatment,” Liu said. “I want to know what happened here so it doesn’t happen again,” Treseder added. The two councilwomen framed it as cleanup, not blame.
By July, records reviewed through a public records request put the remodel above $15 million.
“We don’t have a revenue problem. The big elephant in the room that has not been addressed tonight is workforce,” Mai wrote on LinkedIn. He said the city had added nearly 250 positions over five years.
That same memo asked staff to return with audit options, costs and timelines in 60 days.
“We have been running projections,” Crumby told staff. “There’s no budget numbers to report because there’s no budget adopted.” The interview came as councilmembers weighed a hiring freeze and reserve spending.
Crumby later told staff on May 20 that he would retire on Aug. 14.
“Together, we have accomplished a great deal,” he wrote. Crumby also described the transition as “smooth and orderly,” and he felt it was time to begin a new chapter.
Mayor Larry Agran tried to keep the alarm down, pointing to Irvine’s reserve cushion.
“We’re not in dire straits,” Agran said. He pointed to Irvine’s reserves and described the gap as manageable.
The city’s LinkedIn post introduced Crumby as Irvine’s seventh city manager last year.
Sean shared, “It has been a privilege to serve the Irvine community in an interim capacity.” “I am deeply grateful to the City Council for their confidence,” he added. The post introduced him as Irvine’s seventh city manager.
In the viral moment, the audit list explicitly included City Hall renovations, including the parking lot and third floor. It came alongside the city’s broader hunt for answers.
The same memo also named federal COVID money, severance packages, the Great Park and the Armstrong Avenue deal. Staff were asked to come back with options, costs and timelines.
That was the original scramble, and it became the backdrop for the city’s still-unfinished budget review. The follow-up never arrived on time.
Irvine’s next General Fund Structural Deficit update is scheduled for August 11 in Irvine.