Serving th Tri-County area of South est rn Michigan
cou
o
TYCOM
IS PE
ARCH 27, 1919
ISSIO OVERlOO
T CETA FU D
R tUrry Reynolds �s fOl'WNd to make
d. A spec' 8cw'd in is 5C for
ch 28 �t 7:30 p.m. to d' u �dit
By Terry Kelly
Th recent furor over the
CET A ineligible cos resulted in
th pa ing of a r solution by
th County Bo d requiring that
II n contrac bet n eET A
and local municipaliti es and
school districts contain pro­
vi ion allowing the county to
hold bac delinquent tax if
ineligible co h ven't b en
repaid by the municip lity.
Se ral Commi loners
reportedly ill not vote to
continue ip of C T
if these safeguards re no
adopted and implemented.
Voting gainst the
resolution re Commissioners
Charles Henderson (0.- B.H.)
and Willie A ke {D. - B.T.}
wh felt the resolution pi ced
too heavy a burden on citie like
Benton Harbor who do not ha
strong tax base.
At question is $131,000
uncovered by an audit of 1975-
1976. The CET A office released
a ch rt showing e ch ag ncv, the
total of its ineligible cost, ho
uch has been resolved d ho
much is a "good possibility of
collection" nd how much is
at "balance".
Th CET A boo eeper
ha m de the determination s
to hich g ncies fit into either
of the fin I two column
"good possibility of collection"
or "B I nee". Balance m ns
. CET A office does not for e
the money being rep ide
Benton Harbor City has
the single largest entry in the
final column - $51/373.
Howe er, totaling II of
the County's programs produces
a total of $45,326, almost qual
r
CA special meeting
F ced ith $187,000
of qu ioned costs uncovered
by an audit, the Berri n County
Action Board ill hold a special
sion thi Wednesda, arch 28,
to r Direc'tor J mes P pie
e plain th audit. .
It i reported that there
$19,000 of funds spent
��ltherilation progr m
for hich there re no receipt
Peeples told th Boar
at it last ednesday meetin
th t the udit needed som
exptan tion.
RCA is located at
E. ain St.,' Benton tUrbor.
The meeting is open to th
pubt" .
•
that of B nton Harbor City.
According. to eldon
Burden, CETA Director, the
city's $51/373 comes from
people hired by the city who
re paid w g s from CET A
funds that er 0 r the CET A
limit of $10,000 a year.
"It amounts to about
$ O· to $600 p r
Burden ide "There
of $4 ,6 6 p id in a es
$8�300 in fring s ch rged to us
o rthe $10,000 limit."
el arm r, B n on
Harbor Citv an er, id of the
ineligibl co ts, "The city's
contention i that th collnty is
going to prot tit."
. "Th re as much con-
fusion in CETA at that time,"
F rmer continued. "It s
da to day th ing. There s no
contract t that tim and we feel
we folio ed instructions."
Farmer said the city has
taken no offici I ction regard­
ing the county's resolution to
hold up taxe to the ltv.
Burden greed with Mr.
F arrner's contention that rule
ere constantly ch nging in the
early days of CET A.
An e ampl is the
County' 0 n total of $ 9,871
for central dministration of
CETA. Of that figure, $21,
495 is still unresol d and
should go into the "Balance"
column. The figures rele d
from th CET office did not
include its 0 n ineligibl
cost.
of the $18,376. She tra ed to
e Orleans for a tion
Association of Counties Con­
ntion and ch r d th trip to
CETA.
e coun
sol d portion - th
it no 0 e - is for n audit
perform d by th firm of G rb I
and Butzb ugh.
According to DOL, the
county should hav d rti d
for bids and gi en th 21,495
udit job to th 10 est bidder.
Burd n said of the
ineligible udit co ts, U
und r tanding is, it's up for
negotiation ."
All of th CET A funds
dministered after 1976 r
currently und rgoing an udit.
The rem ining $23 831
of county ineligible funds s
incurred by the ag nci s ho
are county-run or controll d,
Berrien County Action, Dep
m nt of Sod I . c s, Berrien
G neral Hospi I, B rri n OIC,
Youth Services Bure u and th
d funct ighborhood Youth
Corp.
EXT EEK: Ho doe
C T A dministration prot ct
th county from in ligibl
{EDITOR � OTE:
related edi ori I •
to' be
I