NATCHEZ — Necessary information needed to audit the City of Natchez that was expected in March was just delivered to the independent auditor Thursday.

City Clerk Donnie Holloway told the Natchez Board of Aldermen Tuesday at its meeting that the city’s accountants were working to reconcile a $600,000 discrepancy in last fiscal year’s ending balances.

Holloway said Thursday he misspoke, and only approximately $146,000 needed to be accounted for in an adjustment account.

For example, if the city purchases a piece of equipment in September before the fiscal year ends, but is not billed until October after the next fiscal year begins, an adjustment entry is made.

An adjustment account that was supposed to show $146,000 showed a zero balance, Holloway said. The data, he said, was input into the system incorrectly.

In early March, the city’s accountants said they anticipated working a couple of more weeks to close out last fiscal year’s books so the annual audit could begin.

Holloway said the delay was caused because the Springbrook software was not set up for adjustment accounts. Holloway’s office, he said, has been working with Springbrook technicians to get the accounts set up.

The city’s independent auditor, Deanne Tanksley, of the Gillon Group said the city’s audit typically takes 300 hours.

The audit must be completed by June 30.

Tanksley said Thursday she would not know exactly how long the audit would take until she fully delves into it.

Holloway said he is not concerned about the audit being completed on time because the accountants have done the pre-audit work.

The accountants have been working since they were hired last November to reconcile the 2011-2012 general ledger, meaning balancing the city’s 70 to 80 accounts.

The accountants have said closing out the books has taken so long because they ran into unforeseen problems that came as a result of the city clerk’s office switching its books to a new sophisticated software system.