Senator Weber brought forward language to forgive penalties and restore local government aid (LGA) to three small cities whose reporting lapses prevented them from receiving full aid. Committee members approved an amendment to add amounts for the cities identified by the sponsor, and the committee then heard from local officials.

The mayor of Alpha, Timothy Kane, and the newly hired city clerk, Kelly Soucek, described errors and administrative weakness under the prior clerk that led to late filings, late fees and penalties. Soucek said: “Checks were signed and never mailed. Thousands of dollars in late fees were applied,” and described steps taken since September to reorganize records and improve reporting.

Senator Weber said his office is continuing outreach to two other cities (Oden and a second small city named in the amendment) and noted that payment would be conditioned on state‑auditor certification of proper reporting work. The sponsor reported the local amounts in the amendment as $18,472 for Alpha, $16,271 for one city, and $30,957 for another; the amendment prevailed and the bill was laid over for further work and verification of reporting requirements.

Committee members expressed sympathy for the small cities while stressing that proper reporting and accountability must be in place before funds are released.