EASTON, Pa. — An audit of Northampton County Conservation District found no signs of trouble in 2022, representatives from the county controller’s office announced Wednesday.
The audit does not, however, settle accusations from members of the conservation district’s board of directors that county officials were mishandling district funds.
"Our financial audit goes through with reviewing the revenues and expenditures and making sure that all is accounted for. We don't get into the balance sheet stuff where we get into assets, liabilities — that's all part of the general fund.”Lead auditor Stacy Duke
County administrators have maintained that funds always were accounted for appropriately and that the conservation district simply did not understand how county finances work.
An audit by the county controller’s office found no signs of trouble, lead auditor Stacy Duke told a county council committee Wednesday.
However, the office only looked into the agency’s receipts and disbursements and did not consider whether funds were correctly handled once they entered county coffers, Duke said.
“Our financial audit goes through with reviewing the revenues and expenditures and making sure that all is accounted for,” Duke said.
“We don't get into the balance sheet stuff where we get into assets, liabilities — that's all part of the general fund.”
Originally conserved water, soil
Conservation districts such as Northampton County's were created by the state legislature in 1945, initially to promote soil and water conservation among farmers.
In addition to its historic mission, today it largely handles erosion control and post-construction stormwater permitting for agriculture, construction and other earthmoving projects.
“They’re actually going to be doing their own internal audits. At this stage, there’s really not much we can do that would be of substantial, or of any, value to the public.”Northampton County Controller Tara Zrinski
Growing aggrievement between the conservation district and county administration ultimately led to a split last October, when County Executive Lamont McClure announced the district would become an independent agency.
For now, it remains a department of Northampton County government, but will become solely responsible for its finances, expenses, hiring, employee benefits and nearly everything else by the end of 2024.
Because the conservation district soon will be an independent agency responsible for its own books, County Controller Tara Zrinski said, she would not commit resources to investigating the conservation district’s claims.
“They’re actually going to be doing their own internal audits,” Zrinski said. “At this stage, there’s really not much we can do that would be of substantial, or of any, value to the public.”
