The Warren County treasurer asked the Personnel Administration and Higher Education Committee on Aug. 28, 2025, to place proposed changes to the county budget team — including an apparent decision to exclude the treasurer’s office — on next month’s Personnel and Finance committee agendas and the full board meeting for review.

The request, made during the meeting’s public comment period, sought discussion of “the county’s existing and proposed changes to the budget team member makeup” and “the financial rigor and subjective nature of the personnel request processes and resulting decisions,” the treasurer said. The treasurer asked that the committees and board examine those changes to ensure “objectivity, effectiveness, and independence for the purposes of ensuring checks and balances and no conflicts of interest.”

The treasurer told the committee that the appointed county administrator informed him during budget review on Aug. 22 that the treasurer’s team would be excluded from the budget team going forward. “He would be excluding the treasurer’s team from the budget team and processes go forward,” the treasurer said. The treasurer also said the treasurer’s office has participated in the county budget team since 1976 and that the deputy treasurer, a certified public accountant, has provided independent review for more than 20 years.

Committee members did not debate the substance of the treasurer’s claims during the meeting. A committee member said there was no objection to having a discussion and the committee agreed to place the matter on next month’s Personnel and Finance committee agendas and on the board meeting agenda for further consideration.

The treasurer requested the review to clarify whether the change would affect financial oversight and whether excluding the treasurer’s office would alter existing checks and balances. The committee did not take formal action beyond adding the item to future agendas; the treasurer sought transparency and further clarification from county staff and the treasurer’s office before that discussion.

Background: The request came near the start of the Aug. 28 meeting of the Personnel Administration and Higher Education Committee. The treasurer said the asserted exclusion was communicated during an Aug. 22 budget review. No written policy or ordinance was cited at the meeting; the committee indicated it would seek clarity from the treasurer and other staff ahead of the scheduled discussion.