County moves to fix problem with General Fund
Fannin County government’s former administration did not appropriately reimburse county departments with CARES Act money received from the federal government, which resulted in several departments appearing to be significantly over their approved 2020 budgets.
Commission Chairman Jamie Hensley, who took over the office from former Chairman Stan Helton in January, alerted the public to this issue during the board’s regular meeting Tuesday, February 9, after it was brought to his attention by several department heads just after the board’s last meeting, January 26.
“One in particular reflected that this person was 175% over budget, and of course we sat down and were wondering how in the world this could be,” Hensley said. “Come to find out, these were supposed to be refunded to them for upgrades for product they bought as a result of COVID-19. … I can honestly say they (Post One Commissioner Earl Johnson and Post Two Commissioner Glenn Patterson) didn’t know because this is something that we just found out. I had asked the department heads who they had dealt with and they told me 100%.”
Hensley explained that they do have all the receipts for items purchased as a result of COVID-19.
“They were just never reimbursed,” he said.
Patterson asked if the current administration planned to reimburse the departments, and Hensley said, “I feel it’s the right thing to do.”
County Clerk Sherri Walker, who has also been acting as interim finance director following Robin Gazaway’s resignation in December, said, “We’re not really putting money back into their budget. It’s all in one pot like in the General Fund. It’s just going to be a reflection on the actual budget line item number for 2020. … It’s not like money transferring in and out.”
County Attorney Lynn Doss explained the department purchases not appropriately reimbursed are each a “100% legitimate use of COVID-19-designated funds” that have already been received.
Johnson said, “We’re basically spending the money for what we applied for and what it was allocated for … instead of drawing it out of their budget. I spoke with one of these people, and I don’t know where the idea came from to make the General Fund look better. We applied to receive COVID-19 funding to do these things, and all we’re doing is using the money for what it was intended for, not to beef up a General Fund account.”
He also expressed his concern with the lack of appropriate allocation of funds, because the board had approved the purchase of several items specifically with CARES Act funds.
“Mrs. Chastain (Dana, clerk of courts) even came up here and presented building her wall with us, and I’m pretty sure we all agreed that’s exactly what the COVID-19 money, or the CARES Act, was intended for,” Johnson said. “So how it got taken out of her budget and not the appropriate CARES Act fund, how that happened, I have no idea.”
While Hensley had information for three departments at the meeting, he said other departments are getting him all the necessary information in order for a file to be created for each department with the receipts for COVID-19-necessitated purchases.
Doss said the plan was a “great way to get it all neatly organized for accountability purposes.”
The board tabled the matter until the next meeting, February 23. At that time, they expect to approve the departmental reimbursements as a whole.