Warren receives 13th audit citation

The citations date back to the previous city auditor.

STAFF REPORT

WARREN — What Warren Auditor David Griffing calls a “difference of opinion” with the Ohio Auditor’s Office has led to the city’s being cited for the 13th time in a row for an accounting problem.

The auditor’s office, in an audit released this week, said the city authorized expenditures that were $216,058 greater than actual monies available.

Griffing said the state has cited the city for this same violation every year he has been auditor (13 years) — and cited his predecessor, Anthony Iannucci, for many of the 12 years Griffing was the deputy auditor under him.

Griffing said the $216,058 is from several road and water projects the city authorized in 2007 that were going to take more than one year to complete.

The city is obligated by Ohio law to certify that it has the money on hand for any such project before signing a contract for the work. But when a project takes more than one year, the city agrees to a contract for the entire project even though it doesn’t have all of the money from federal and state sources to pay for it until later, Griffing said.

If the city failed to sign a contract for the entire project, that might create problems for the company awarded the contract, Griffing said.

“We’re saying the money is not there and not being spent,” Griffing said of the city’s position on the matter.

The audit turned up no findings for recovery.