Audit frustrations boil over

Chickasaw County Human Resources Consultant Paul Greufe, president of the human resources firm PJ Greufe and Associates out of Davenport, presented the Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors with a proposal for consulting services on Wednesday.
“All this is, is diving into it in a little more detail,” he said, referring to the recent state audit report.
Greufe addressed the supervisors in a packed board room, filled with county officials, department heads, county employees and members of the general public. The crowd spilled out into the courthouse hallway. He presented the board with a written and spoken report regarding the State of Iowa Auditor re-audit report regarding Chickasaw County. Greufe also submitted a contract to the supervisors for consulting services, proposing that his firm would be paid $6,000 to conduct an investigation relating to the audit, focusing on areas addressed in the audit as well as any other matters discovered during the investigation.
Greufe recommended that a thorough investigation be conducted immediately, and that until it is, the supervisors would be limited in their ability to address the concerns of the constituents who elected them to office. He noted that the county would incur additional costs in performing the audit, and estimated those costs could range from an estimated $4,000 up to $25,000, depending on where the investigation leads. 
“Hold it a second. What’s the target here?” asked New Hampton attorney Mike Kennedy, who was at the meeting. “Is there a question of corruption within this building? I was told that the state audit was going to be explosive, and it was on the agenda for weeks, and when it finally came out, it was barely a firecracker. And now, the issues in the audit have been addressed.”
Kennedy characterized the re-audit request and Greufe’s proposal as “second-guessing.”
“I think there’s an innuendo here that some of these people are corrupt, I find that pretty offensive, because I’m in and out of this building on a daily basis, and I think the offices are run exceedingly well,” Kennedy said. “If you really think someone in this building is corrupt, then go to the DCI, because that’s a criminal matter.”

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Greufe is already on paid retainer and receives fees for his work for Chickasaw County. The supervisors listened to Greufe’s proposal, heard concerns from several individuals in attendance at the meeting, but took no action. They did not sign the contract presented by Greufe, but they did recommend that Greufe work with the county attorney’s office as the investigation continued.
 
For more of this article, see Friday's Tribune.