A new audit of the Johnson County Health Department contains harsh phrases that county residents aren’t used to seeing when it comes to their generally smooth-running government.
Phrases like “ineffective management,” “erroneous budget submissions,” “general lack of knowledge,” “poor or non-existent record-keeping,” and “circumventing county policy.”
Add it all up, and County Auditor Bill Miller found an agency that for years made up its own rules in collecting and spending public funds.
The problems have damaged the Health Department’s ability to help prevent the spread of disease and to encourage residents to follow healthy habits. It provides flu shots and family planning services for low- and moderate-income people.
The agency wrote off bad debt from some patients that could have been collected. And Miller said it appeared some patients who could pay had “learned how to work the system” to avoid even getting bills from the county.
The Health Department staff agreed with most of Miller’s recommendations on how to improve the management of public funds.
The department has been without a permanent director since late last year. The county needs to hire a highly qualified leader who will properly oversee a $10 million annual budget to help provide a safety net of services for Johnson Countians.
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Know what is going on in your own backyard....
how many times have I said that? Quite a few. This audit brought out how accountability and responsible management is far from what it should be with our government agencies.
One of the most important things I think Auditor Miller brought out was how the whole grant process is screwed up. Government agencies will apply for grants and receive them and then go about spending the money and sometimes not for which it was requested. This was brought out by this audit. Reports were supposed to be made to the grantor which wasn't done, there was no inventory kept as to what items were purchased from the grant money, there is a possibility grant money would need to be returned since it wasn't used as requested and on and on.
Auditor Miller brought out how this grant process is not understood and/or managed correctly and it is not only with the Health Dept. He indicated a high risk on this grant process with all departments within Jo. Co. He will be looking at this closely on any audit he will do in the future and he most definitely needs to. Citizens want government entities to be held accountable with the funds they give them.
Citizens have been disgusted since there has been no accountability of how the first $300 billion or so of bailout funds have been used
at the federal level and this local irresponsibility of grant money falls into the same category.
So thank you Auditor Miller to do your job - the major hurdle we have before us is for the Jo. Co. Commissioners to do their job and that is where I have my misgivings since I have reached a level of contempt for their past words, actions and inaction on various other issues.