Public commenter thanks committee for CASA transfer and flags duplicate payment found on audit

Brian, a public commenter, thanked the LaSalle County Finance and TIF Committee for arranging an immediate transfer of grant funds to CASA and said he had picked up a $39,500 check that appeared to duplicate an earlier transfer. “I went down after the board meeting yesterday and picked up a check, another check for 39,500 I have right here,” Brian said, adding he was grateful but concerned about the paperwork mixup.

Committee members said the duplicate payment was referenced in the county audit and discussed steps to prevent similar errors. Members described past instances in which vendors received two payments for the same claim and urged stronger internal controls. One member recommended implementing a purchase‑order (PO) system and suggested the finance committee review the auditor’s department to determine why duplicate payments were processed.

The committee directed staff to remove the CASA item from the bills list while the discrepancy is resolved; Brian said he would return the duplicate check for processing. Members also discussed consolidating outside vendor disbursements to a single, predictable date (proposed July 1) to improve the paper trail and reduce ad‑hoc transfers that create opportunities for duplication.

The committee did not take a formal enforcement vote beyond removing the CASA line from the bills and referring the audit finding to staff for follow‑up. The committee will revisit controls and the recommendation to institute a PO process as staff bring information back in a future meeting.