Auditor's office says claims backlog caused by staff transition; board approves consent agenda

Auditor's office staff told the Board of Supervisors during a special meeting that the county's vendor-claims process had fallen behind after staffing turnover. Staff explained claims are normally processed twice monthly and should be submitted by end-of-day Thursday to be included in the next cycle; several claims referenced in the meeting were described as late by up to three months.

The auditor's office staff said they lacked access to credit-card account passwords and that, upon obtaining access, staff paid a recent Visa bill from the auditor's fund to avoid delinquency and will seek reimbursements where appropriate. On the phone, a former staff member who identified herself as Emily said she provided three weeks' notice before leaving and trained a part-time replacement, and that she handed over login information intended to ensure continuity: "I gave that part time person the log in to do everything that I could."

Supervisors and staff agreed the county needs clear written procedures, redundancy for account access, and exploration of more integrated software so department heads could enter claim jackets only once and transfer data directly to the auditor's system. Board members suggested documenting processes and, where necessary, coordinating between the auditor's office and department heads to avoid duplicate manual entry.

The board approved the consent agenda, including the claims currently ready for action. Supervisors said they would confirm the Thursday submission deadline by email and that staff will return with recommendations if the county decides to pursue a new automated solution.