The City of Vicksburg’s 2009 audit was turned over Monday to the Board of Mayor and aldermen.

The board voted 3-0 to accept the audit prepared by Memphis-based Booker T. Camper Jr.

The board hired Camper in February to do the 2009 and 2010 audits at a cost not to exceed $91,667 per audit for a total of $183,334. Mayor Paul Winfield said Camper received the full $91,667 fee. He did not know when the 2010 audit would be completed, but said it would be completed “shortly.”

“I’m glad it’s done,” South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman said after the audit was accepted.

Winfield said getting the audit should help the city get back into some state programs such as the first-time homebuyer program, which provides down payments.

“We’ve had trouble with our audits in the past,” he said. “It’s not unusual for cities to fall behind with audits, but not as far behind as we were.”

The board accepted the city’s 2008 audit on April 11 after paying $360,484, with $125,000 going to the Halford Firm, which did the audit, $9,715 to May and Company for assisting with the audit, and about $225,769 to former strategic planner Paul Rogers from July 2009 to February for assisting with the 2008 audit.

Rogers worked part time from July 2009 to July 2011, when the board placed him on full-time status.

Winfield said in February when Booker T. Camper was hired that the company was a consortium, with accountants in Mississippi, Tennessee and other states, adding the firm was certified to work in Mississippi.”

He said at the time that the company was hired “because of delays and because we need to get the audits completed.”

Rogers said in April that part of the reason for the delay in completing the 2007 and 2008 audits was the city’s switch to a new accounting software called MUNIS, and he had to use the old and new software programs to get information required by auditors.

He also said scheduling problems with auditors slowed completing the audit.