The council chambers were packed last night from the front row to the rear, mainly on account of the auditor’s report on the handling of the DoJ funds.

Long story short: The council went into executive session and then voted unanimously to transfer around $300,000 from the reserve fund to cover the DoJ’s Pay Back Uncle Sam requirements.

With that hot potato tossed, they voted to make claims against the bonds of the mayor, two former city clerks and the insurance of the city’s auditing firm, Wright, Ward, Hatten & Guel.

Nothing untoward was found in the auditing process, according to Becky Hammond. What we have here, she said in the best quote of the night, is not an accounting problem. It’s a cash flow problem.

Plenty of questions remain about the fund whereabouts and what happens next and to whom.