This does not reflect the majority viewpoint of the JoCo BOCC

September 11, 2024

An audit was presented to the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners last Thursday, September 5th. 

In this audit the staff was unable to quantify results due to “data limitations.”

Page one of the audit report states, “Data was not sufficiently reliable to identify all contracts and contract amounts consistently . . . County purchase orders were often created after receiving an invoice from a supplier.”

WHAT!!!!!  You read that correctly, it seems there are problems in the land of perfection and Chairman Kelly would prefer not to discuss the details. 

When I pressed questions Chairman Kelly stated, “I think someone is just looking for a sound bite.”

Wrong, Mr. Chairman, I was looking for ANSWERS to the statement on the audit report which read, “Data limitations kept us from answering that.”

There was an example given of a contract for $50K which had delivery in $10K increments and our audit staff was unable to track them.  

AND the biggie of the day: our ION system, the portal for vendors to respond to RFPs, and our Oracle system through which the county makes payments, are NOT INTEGRATED. 

Purchase order codes, if there is a purchase order, must be MANUALLY TRANSFERRED from Ion to Oracle with multiple opportunities for error.

My head is still spinning from statements made by the audit staff such as, “we found confirming purchase orders,” meaning purchase orders created after or in conjunction with receiving an invoice. 

Does that open the door to fraud or mismanagement???? 

Our Chief Auditor followed with this statement, 

        “I think the fact that it has (been) said that procedures need to be reviewed and revised, I think would be taking us down to where  we have controls.  Because if you don’t have control, then I don’t know what you have.”

Yes, this is like our kids using our credit card without our knowledge and then informing us of the necessity after we receive the bill!!!

We the people are required to balance our check books, but the county has a siphon into our bank accounts so when they need more money, they raise OUR taxes.

So, we have a $1.818 BILLION dollar budget, with processes in place which allow back dating of purchase orders to match invoices.   AND a system in which the Audit Department cannot quantify results because, according to their report, “Data were not sufficiently reliable to identify all contracts and contract amounts consistently.” 

Again, according to the audit staff financial controls are not in place and our County Auditor stated “…if you don’t have controls, then I don’t know what you have.”

However, I know what we have: an accounting mess that must be cleaned up immediately. 

But you know, I’m just “looking for a sound bite”.

Artwork by Tim McCabe