The Chair of the Boone County Fire District’s Board of Directors said a decade long investigation into his organization all started because of some disagreements between FEMA and Homeland Security.
Three years ago, Boone County Fire District Board Members set aside about $800,000 in their bank account to repay the federal government because a federal audit showed some questionable spending from 2002 to 2007. The audit centers on the Fire District’s Missouri Task Force One agency. The search and rescue team responded to hurricane Katrina and other disasters. Missouri Task Force One is the only one of 28 agencies of its kind in the country to be audited by Homeland Security. Fire District officials aren’t sure why they were singled out, but they have their suspicions.
Fire District Board Chair Dave Griggs said, “We were in the right place at the right time. During that time, the task force was on five or six deployments. That was when the hurricane hit New Orleans. We were in New Orleans twice. It was a very, very busy time for the task force. I would imagine that would have something to do with it. It’s just the luck of the draw.”
Griggs said FEMA and Homeland Security administrators still disagree on what was appropriate spending for the fire district. Those 2 agencies continue to discuss their official guidelines for reimbursements and expenses.
Last week, Fire District officials got an unofficial phone call saying they now owe FEMA $213,648 instead of the original $752,453. Fire District officials are waiting on an official document before they write their check to Uncle Sam.
Griggs asked, “Is this a FEMA problem? Is this a local agency problem? Is this a Homeland Security problem? It’s all our problem. We’re really glad and hopeful that within another 30 or 45 days we’ll have this behind us and we can charge ahead.”
Any money not returned to the federal government will be used for infrastructure projects and to replace old equipment.
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