The Boone County Fire Protection District repaid more than $200,000 in misused funds to the Federal Emergency Management Agency yesterday, settling a federal audit from the year 2009.
The audit originally indicated the Fire District had misused more than$750,000 in FEMA funding over a five-year period. The Fire District disputed the audit’s findings, and in July, it was notified of the updated and reduced balance.
Fire Chief Scott Olsen says most of the misuse is attributed to accounting errors and ineligible spending.
“Now what we’re focused on is fixing those issues and making sure those issues don’t happen again and that FEMA and the office of Inspector General is comfortable with the fact that we are going to manage federal money correctly,” Olsen said.
The Fire District is still contesting two items in the audit request.