WILDOMAR -- A leader of the city's incorporation effort publically questioned the City Council's spending to date on employees and consultants during Wednesday's regular meeting.

The spark for Gina Castanon's comments was a 4-0 council vote, with Mayor Bob Cashman absent, to hire the Sacramento-based accounting firm of Macias Gini and O'Connell.

According to a report prepared by the city's interim finance director, Steve Stark, the firm will be responsible for preparing finance reports, verifying bank reports and issuing purchase orders.

The firm will be paid an amount not to exceed $40,000 the first year and the firm's employees will be paid on a per hour basis by the city, the report states.

Stark mentions in the report a request for proposals that was sent June 27 to accounting firms that specialize in providing services to local governments. An analysis of the responses to that request conducted July 3 determined that Macias Gini and O'Connell, which has an office in San Diego, was the top choice for the city.

Castanon, addressing the council before its vote, said the report did not list any of the other firms that responded to the request.

"There's nothing to compare it to," she said of Macias Gini and O'Connell's bid.

Castanon, a former member of the nonprofit group that pushed for cityhood, said the City Council seems to be intent on hiring companies affiliated with the interim city manager, John Danielson, the former city manager of the Sacramento suburb of Elk Grove.

According to an agenda for an Elk Grove City Council meeting in 2004, the Elk Grove council directed Danielson to execute $130,000 in contracts with Cobb, Bazilo and Associates and the Macias Consulting Group for an analysis of police operations and an audit of financial management. Macias Consulting Group is the consulting division of Macias Gini and O'Connell, according to the company's Web site.

Responding to questions that have been previously raised about the hiring of former colleagues, Danielson has said that he has sought out people with whom he is familiar because the city of Wildomar can't risk instability during its formative months.

As for the scope of work in Wildomar that will be tackled by Macias Gini and O'Connell, Castanon said the tasks could be included under the umbrella of the finance director's duties.

Danielson addressed Castanon's comments, saying the financial tasks facing the city were too much for one person.

He said the accounting firm will be working to augment the financial superstructure that Stark is putting in place. He said the firm's employees working for the city will be the equivalent of lower level workers who would handle some data entry and other mundane financial tasks.

Danielson invited every member of the public interested in the city's finances to meet with Stark and take a look at the city's books.

"We're trying to be as open and transparent as possible," he said.

Following the council's vote, Castanon got up to leave the meeting, staged in David A. Brown Middle School's multipurpose room. Before she left the room, she said she isn't trying to be negative or bash the council.

"The public needs to know what the city is spending its money on," she said.

Also, she said she was skeptical that there wasn't a local accounting firm that could handle the tasks outlined in Stark's report.

The council did not address Castanon's comments before voting to approve the deal with Macias Gini and O'Connell, but at the end of Wednesday's meeting, City Councilwomen Marsha Swanson and Sheryl Ade asked staff to put together spending reports that detail how much the council has spent or committed to spend to date.

Contact staff writer Aaron Claverie at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2624, or aclaverie@californian.com.

Contact staff writer Aaron Claverie at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2624, or aclaverie@californian.com.