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Transit manager warns organizational gaps could trigger audit findings; board pauses for executive session
Summary
Transit manager Chad Engel told the Kootenai County Board on March 6 the transit department’s organizational chart and job descriptions must meet Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirements ahead of a triennial review; commissioners expressed concerns and later voted to move into executive session to discuss the chart.
Chad Engel, manager for Kootenai County Transit, told commissioners on March 6 that the county’s transit organizational chart and job descriptions must align with Federal Transit Administration requirements ahead of an upcoming audit and triennial review.
Engel said the board’s December 2023 decision to move the resource management office into the transit department required revising two job descriptions in February 2024 and submitting them to human resources for reclassification. He said the FTA has reviewed the job descriptions and that the department must ensure separation of duties, cross-training and clearly defined responsibilities to demonstrate institutional, managerial and financial capability under federal and state rules.
"The organizational structure must also ensure that there is adequate separation of duties as mandated by FTA," Engel said, adding the need for cross-training “to maintain operations in the absence of one another.” He urged the board to address gaps that could otherwise result in audit deficiencies.
Commissioners pressed for clarification about whether specific titles and prior duties were captured in the proposed org chart, whether positions listed in the chart already exist in county payroll, and how contracted personnel (W-2 to 1099 conversions) fit in the structure. Commissioner Everline said she had “a number of questions” and noted some items may require further board discussion.
Following the transit discussion commissioners voted to go into executive session under a cited item code; the motion passed unanimously.
Why it matters: The FTA triennial review and other federal and state requirements can result in audit findings that affect future federal funding if a recipient cannot show appropriate job duties, internal controls and separation of responsibilities for federally funded transit programs.
What commissioners asked for: Commissioners requested clearer linkage between the proposed chart and existing county payroll/job descriptions, clarification on duties moved from the resource management office into transit, and identification of whether specific individuals are preselected to fill the revised positions.
No formal action to adopt the chart was recorded in the public meeting; instead the board moved to an executive session to continue discussion.
