County Finance Committee members agreed to resume work on a previously circulated draft electronic funds transfer policy and to form a small subcommittee to refine it so the county can show progress to auditors. Treasurer Jen White said the draft had been circulated earlier this year and that the committee should aim to adopt a policy before the end of the year.

Committee leaders said the State Auditor’s Office (SAO) has been asking counties about formal EFT controls and that auditors are likely to raise the issue as the 2025 audit gets underway. That, committee members said, is a reason to move the draft forward now.

The discussion mattered because auditors identified a lack of a formal EFT policy in recent audits. “I think if we can make a goal for ourselves of having this adopted before the end of this year, I think it would be a reasonable goal,” said a committee member during the discussion. Jen White, treasurer, said she wanted the process to be led from the treasurer’s office and that staff should be included from departments and the auditor’s office during drafting.

Committee members said Brian Clercy circulated a draft on Jan. 27 and that material gathered from other counties exists to help shape a local policy. Members also asked that the county’s procurement and auditor offices be looped in because EFTs touch both payments and vendor-management controls.

The group agreed to assemble a small working team to gather the existing draft and others’ samples, reconcile feedback, and circulate a new draft of the policy to the committee and the SAO if auditors inquire. Participants discussed a target of adoption before year-end so the county could demonstrate progress in the next audit cycle.

Ending: Committee members asked the treasurer’s office to re-distribute the earlier draft and other example policies, and to begin meetings of the small drafting group in the coming weeks. If auditors ask about the policy, committee members said they will present the in-progress draft and the plan and timeline for final adoption.