Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Finance Audit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Johnson County approves payment for state audit of ARPA funds amid criticism of state oversight
Summary
The board passed Ordinance 2025‑O‑1 authorizing expenditure of ARPA grant funds to pay $10,631.87 for a State Board of Accounts (SBOA) audit. Commissioners criticized the requirement as an additional state burden despite federal Treasury reporting already in place.
The Johnson County Board of Commissioners voted Feb. 24 to adopt Ordinance 2025‑O‑1, authorizing distribution and expenditure of county American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pay professional services for an audit by the State Board of Accounts (SBOA).
County audio records and the agenda identify the payment amount as $10,631.87 to cover the SBOA audit of Johnson County's ARPA spending. Commissioners debated the requirement during the motion, with one commissioner calling the audit a state-imposed burden and questioning the value of additional review beyond federal Treasury reporting.
A commissioner who seconded the motion said, "But the problem with this is that this is another thing the State puts a burden on local governments. I mean, we pay our annual audit is about $80,000 roughly... The money the state takes in from local governments, and then they want to tell us we're frivolous in our spending..."
Another commissioner noted the county has already been reporting to the U.S. Department of the Treasury for ARPA compliance and described the SBOA audit as "over and above" federal reporting requirements. The ordinance passed on a voice vote; the meeting audio records the board chair calling the vote and announcing the motion carried.
Clarifying details from the discussion: the SBOA audit fee cited on the record is $10,631.87, and the county's routine annual audit was referenced around $80,000 (figure presented by a commissioner during debate). The ordinance language on the agenda is listed as "authorizing distribution and or expenditure of proceeds of Johnson County's grant from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, subject payment of professional services for the SBOA audit of Johnson County ARPA." The transcript contains no evidence of alternative funding sources for the payment noted in the discussion.
The board approved the ordinance; no amendments or follow-up reporting tasks were recorded in the discussion on the audio.
