Board agrees to pursue dispute process for State Auditor invoice; audit RFP continuing

The board discussed an outstanding FY24 invoice from the State Auditor and next steps to dispute the bill under Iowa code. Chair noted the county previously paid the FY23 bill despite delays but that the FY24 invoice may be disputed; staff said the formal dispute window is 30 days from notification and recommended using email records as part of the dispute packet.

"There's a process for the state auditor to dispute a bill. You have to make a formal dispute… It's 30 days to dispute," the Chair said, and supervisors agreed to proceed with the dispute process using the emails they already exchanged and to coordinate next steps outside the meeting. Staff also reported that multiple firms submitted preliminary questions for the forensic/fiscal audit RFP and that responses had been consolidated and posted to the RFP database and county website.

Why it matters: A formal dispute with the State Auditor and the selection of a forensic/fiscal audit vendor have legal and fiscal implications for county financial oversight and potential findings; the board authorized moving forward with the formal dispute process and continuing the RFP evaluation.