Linn auditor wants better oversight

Linn County Auditor Joel Miller is replacing one of his longtime deputies in part out of fear that county spending in the post-flood era is not closely enough monitored.

Miller fired Deputy Commissioner of Elections Sue Wold this week, saying he wants to hire a certified public accountant to replace her. The new deputy would ideally have business experience, and would split time between election oversight and internal auditing of the county.

“My concern is we have a lot of cash coming in and going out,” Miller said. “We're processing stuff through, but nobody's analyzing anything to any great extent to see if it makes sense ... I think people expect the county auditor to actually audit.”

In fiscal year 2009, some $157 million passed through Linn County government, including state and federal funds for flood expenses and rebuilding projects. The county's typical annual budget is about $100 million.

Firing a deputy like Wold, who worked in the Auditor's Office for 31 years, was a surprising move, and has sent ripples through Linn County government. Supervisor Jim Houser, the longest-tenured supervisor, said no elected official has canned a deputy since he joined the board in 1990.

Wold declined to comment.

Hundreds of millions of extra dollars are flowing through local government because of flood recovery, and officials at the city are also moving to improve oversight of the cash and the paperwork.

Cedar Rapids Finance Director Casey Drew asked the City Council for seven new finance positions a week ago, noting that the city's overall annual budget has grown from $379 million to $752 million with all the spending on flood recovery.

The huge flow of cash through city government, and all the rules that come with the various types of money will likely require more internal auditing, council member Kris Gulick said. He said his major concern is not fraud.

“I'm not at all concerned about that, from a staff integrity standpoint,” he said. “I'm more concerned about errors.”