It will be at least five more days before people in Richmond County, N.S., learn the conclusions of an audit into years of expense claims and credit card charges by senior staff, councillors and wardens.

In March, the accounting firm Grant Thornton was hired to look at five years of expense claims after an annual audit raised concerns.

Elected and municipal officials with the county came under fire earlier this month after an ombudsman's report was made public by CBC News.

The report outlined a "culture of entitlement" among elected municipal officials and the chief administrative officer. The report listed examples where officials "double dipped" in claims for meals and mileage and expensed thousands of dollars for dinners and alcohol with little or no oversight.

Meeting held behind closed doors

On Tuesday night about two dozen people showed up at the Richmond County municipal building expecting to learn the audit results. But it didn't look like residents would get in the building.

Staff were only admitting councillors and lawyers. The crowd was told no one else could come in because the council meeting was in-camera. There was no explanation as to why the discussion could not be held in public.

The public was forced to wait outside council chambers while members met for a three hour in-camera session. (Joan Weeks/CBC)

Lorenzo Boudreau, 93, has attended more than 800 consecutive council meetings.

"It's the first time I come to a meeting since 1982 that the door is locked," he said.

Public waited 3 hours

Coun. Gilbert Boucher eventually opened the doors so people could wait inside. At the end of the three-hour in-camera session, people were invited into council chambers to hear two motions.

Council voted to post the Grant Thornton audit on the municipal website within five business days.

Lorenzo Boudreau, who says he's attended 800 Richmond County council meetings, said this was the first time he came to a meeting and found the doors locked. (Joan Weeks/CBC)

It also voted to extend the leave of CAO Warren Olsen until the end of the business day Friday.

He went on leave after the ombudsman's report was made public by CBC News. The report was critical of Olsen and the spending practices of others.

New councillors not at meeting

The new councillors who were voted in last weekend did not attend the meeting. The current council continues to act until the new council is sworn in.

Returning Coun. Brian Marchand said in spite of the issues facing council, the "mood was excellent."

"I think everybody treated everybody with respect. No one seemed angry. Everyone knew the decision had to be made."

He said with a new approach, he thinks the new council will eventually be able to put the problems behind it.

"That will depend on the taxpayers," he said. "I guess if we give them the information they want, if we answer the questions they ask I think it will slow down. That's hopefully what the new council will be doing."