County approves audit of ARPA funds, but Ottawa Food request goes unanswered
OTTAWA COUNTY — Funds allocated to and distributed by Ottawa County through the American Rescue Plan Act will be audited in the coming weeks after a vote Tuesday, Feb. 6.
The motion before the county's finance and administration committee called for fiscal services, in coordination with Commissioner Gretchen Cosby as finance committee chair, to “conduct an internal audit of ARPA funds received by Ottawa County.”
That audit will include “use and amount of those funds dispersed, who these funds were given to, and the amount of dollars returned from each account." The results will be presented to the finance committee March 5.
Cosby and Commissioners Joe Moss, Kendra Wenzel and Roger Belknap voted to approve the audit. Commissioner Rebekah Curran was absent.
Moss said he expects “good information” that could lead to further decisions from the board.
“I think it’s a great item to really make sure we’re providing any oversight, if needed, in some of these funds,” he said. “I look forward to really seeing some of the detail and then seeing if there’s anything else that needs to be done or any action that the county needs from the board level.”
More: Ottawa County approved $33.5 million in ARPA funds for 24 projects. Here's what passed
Cosby, reading a prepared statement, said the audit will “ensure the effectiveness and transparent utilization” of funds.
“By accounting for all ARPA funds, including those allocated to county employees vs. community projects, and clarifying categories like revenue replacement, the audit will offer a clear picture of the funds’ impact,” Cosby said.
Ottawa Impact and its commissioners have been critical of the way the previous board handled ARPA funds, approving $33.5 million in November 2022.
Days before those projects were approved, nine commissioner-elects, including three who've since distanced themselves from OI, sent a letter to the board claiming, among other things, that outgoing commissioners were rushing to allocate funds. The letter asked officials to save ARPA funding decisions for the new board in 2023.
Commissioner Doug Zylstra, who isn't on the finance committee, commented on the plan over the weekend. Zylstra said the use of funds and where they were distributed is already available on the county website. He added inviting those who received funds to give updates would be “an easy solution.”
Ottawa Food request goes unanswered
Tuesday marked the committee’s second meeting since Ottawa County Department of Public Health Deputy Administrator Marcia Mansaray officially requested funding for the Ottawa Food coordinator, a role eliminated by budget cuts for the new fiscal year. The item was not included on the agenda Tuesday.
More: Officials said 'no one' wanted Ottawa Food to be impacted. It was anyway.
During a December health and human services committee meeting, during which the health department gives a regular update, Mansaray provided a resolution requesting the board “increase the general fund contribution to health education … $121,274 to fully fund … a health educator to work in the Ottawa Food coordinator role."
The request came two weeks after a tense discussion between OCDPH’s Lisa Uganski and Moss over the suspension of Ottawa Food operations.
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Community partner agencies opted to suspend Ottawa Food’s operating model in November due to the lack of a coordinator. Moss repeatedly questioned Uganski about why the department didn't come to finance to request funding when they realized services would be suspended.
Yet, even though such a request has now been delivered, the board has taken no action.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: County approves audit of ARPA funds, but Ottawa Food request goes unanswered
