The Athens County Commissioners discussed several amendments to the Athens County Accountability Plan proposed by County Auditor Jill Thompson during yesterday's meeting.
The plan outlines how to monitor county employee appropriations.
The purpose is to make sure the county does things together
Thompson said. She said agency confusion with county policy is one of the major issues the plan will address, particularly fringe benefits, which are government-funded work services for employees.
The most confusing type of fringe benefit has been per diems, Thompson added. A per diem is money given to employees for specific purposes, but unlike other fringe benefits, money is provided up front rather than reimbursement.
She also said many agencies don't understand this difference, and as a result, they leave the county vulnerable to fines if the IRS conducts an audit. The two amendments discussed on yesterday dealt with county issued uniforms and cell phones. Both are considered fringe benefits.
Although the IRS hasn't audited Athens County, it did audit Sandusky County two years ago. The county faced close to $1 million in fines; however, a Sandusky County Auditors Office spokesperson said that most of the fines were dropped. The two counties are similar in size.
While the county commissioners expect to finalize the plan next week, the reception from county government agencies remains to be seen. Elected officials do not have to set their policy in accordance with county policy, Commissioner Lenny Eliason said.
As such, some agencies may not adopt the plan and leave the county vulnerable to IRS fines in the event of an audit. However, Thompson said the plan would supersede agency policies because the IRS is federal law and not state law. Should our name get pulled out of the hat we won't get hit with fines she said.
1
News
Dan Quarfoot
