Champaign County board raises alarm over auditor'office delays, directs administration to propose fixes

Champaign County Board members pressed county administration to fix accounting and vendor-payment problems tied to the county auditor's office, saying delays and missing reconciliations are jeopardizing grants and vendor relationships. The board heard detailed examples of late or missing payments, unposted checks and delays in routine tasks such as bank reconciliations, journal entries and vendor setup. County board member Ellie raised the matter as a governance and operational risk: "we're talking about the basic accounts payable and associated functions that, the accountants working in that office, are tasked with and, that are critical to everything that the county does," she said. Why it matters: Several departments, including RPC (Regional Planning Commission) which administers grants and workforce programs, reported vendors calling about unpaid invoices. Board members warned that missed payments and unreconciled accounts risk state reporting errors, loss of grant funding and finance charges that departments must absorb. Board members requested a written review of statutory duties, current workflows and recommended administrative changes. County administration agreed to provide proposals to the committee by the August county administration meeting. Details from the meeting: Finance and staff reports cited recurring problems: Munis help-desk requests left unanswered, vendors not set up in the financial system, bank reconciliations that were not completed for fiscal year 2024 and unposted check runs (the board was told an entire electronic funds transfer check run scheduled June 13 did not go out and vendors waited a week for payment). Travis, who has been handling audit-related memos and questions, told the board that some interest entries for fiscal year 2025 had not been posted and that corrections for FY24 are still being processed. Board direction and next steps: Chair and members asked administration (finance and county executive'staff) to produce a document that lays out the auditor's statutory duties, which duties are being performed, gaps in performance, and whether some administrative functions should be relocated to other offices. Member Benish Theornot (comment in roll call) and others requested the report by the August committee meeting; administration said it will provide recommendations at the August County Administration & Finance meeting. Division of responsibility: Several board members noted the auditor's office is an elected office that performs administrative functions uncommon in other jurisdictions, and asked for an assessment of whether those administrative duties should remain there or be moved to an executive office. Board members stressed they were not criticizing staffers but identifying leadership and structural problems in the office that require board-level review. What the public said: Multiple speakers, including former board members and department heads, described frustration with delayed payments and difficulty getting answers. Board members emphasized the consequences for small businesses and grant-funded programs that rely on timely payment.