Flint energy grant under investigation by federal auditors
Updated May 26, 2011 ; Posted May 26, 2011
By Kristin Longley | klongley1@mlive.com
View full sizeJoseph Tobianski | The Flint JournalFlint Mayor Dayne Walling, flanked by City Attorney Peter Bade (left) and City Administrator Gregory Eason (right), said the city is cooperating with ongoing federal investigations at a press conference at City Hall on Thursday morning. The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Inspector General is auditing the city's use of federal energy efficiency grant funds, a department spokesman said.
FLINT, Michigan —
The investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Energy is auditing the city's use of federal energy grant funds, a federal official confirmed today,
following reports
that federal officials are investigating Flint City Hall.
The DOE's Office of Inspector General has investigators in the city of Flint examining how a federal grant for weatherization of low-income housing is being spent, said Rick Hass, deputy inspector general for audits and inspections.
The investigators will look at a number of issues, including the quality of work being done and whether the city has adequate controls over how the money is spent, Hass said.
It's also routine for auditors to look at how city employees paid with grant funding are spending their time to confirm they're working on grant-related programs, he said.
"That's what we would do in all cases," he said. "We would look at the allocation of their time across different activities."
Hass said he couldn't immediately confirm any FBI involvement in the audit. A city source said the federal energy agency officials were accompanied by the FBI on Wednesday.
An FBI spokeswoman
confirmed today
that investigators were at City Hall, but the FBI did not execute any search warrants. She declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
The city was asked to provide the federal auditors with information and documents related to the investigation.
City officials within 24 hours turned over all the requested information, including archived paper and electronic information, Flint Mayor Dayne Walling said at a press conference today.
Walling did not take any questions from reporters. City Communications Director Dawn Jones said the ongoing probe limits the mayor's administration from giving details about the investigation.
Walling said he is not the subject of the investigation.
"I am committed to rooting out waste and fraud from Flint," he said.