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Madison County budget update: missing audits, ‘ghost’ position and an unfiled FEMA report threaten near‑term deadlines
Summary
Supervisors were told monthly audits were not completed for several months under the former auditor, leaving unresolved discrepancies, roughly $100,000 budgeted for an unfilled position, and an unfiled $59,000 FEMA grant that staff are trying to resolve with congressional help to avoid repayment.
County leaders told the board on Jan. 28 that a backlog of monthly audits dating to the previous year has left revenue and expenditure reporting unreliable and has delayed department budget preparation.
The new auditor and contracted accounting support have corrected treasurer records through December but audit work on the auditor’s side remains incomplete. The board was told that the absence of monthly reconciliations compounded discrepancies between the treasurer’s and the auditor’s accounts and that missing audit months prevented department heads from getting accurate data for budget planning.
Officials said the new auditor identified nearly $100,000 in the current fiscal year that had been budgeted for a position that remained unfilled (a so‑called 'ghost' employee) and that the auditor will review staffing needs. Board members said they expect the auditor to provide a full staffing assessment as part of the budget process.
Separately, staff reported the county failed to file a required FEMA report for a roughly $59,000 firefighter/EMS grant that was due Jan. 30, and that the county’s FEMA account still listed the prior auditor as the authorized user. County staff said FEMA processing to update credentials could take weeks; to avoid a possible clawback or required repayment, staff have contacted Congressman Zach Nunn’s office to attempt to expedite the credential change or obtain an extension.
Supervisors noted that missing state Department of Management reporting deadlines could force the county to adopt last year’s property tax revenues if the required budget submissions are not completed on time, a change that would limit the board’s options for revenue this year. The board directed staff to continue working with the auditor, contracted accounting support, and external offices to resolve credentialing and audit issues before upcoming statutory deadlines.
No formal policy decisions to increase levies were made at the meeting; supervisors said more information will be presented during forthcoming budget work sessions.
