The current delays in federal SNAP advantages served as a well timed reminder of the significance of native authorities. When federal providers have been delayed, King County pivoted to assist make sure that native households have been fed. This motion was attainable due to beneficiant King County voters who’ve accepted a number of tax will increase over time.
Instances like these remind us of a key cause why King County have to be a very good steward of those public {dollars}: in order that we will maximize their affect and assist the most individuals with our restricted sources.
But, a current revelatory audit uncovered lack of oversight and potential misuse of grant money administered by the Division of Group and Human Providers. The report raised crimson flags that point out attainable fraud, together with solid invoices and expense paperwork; funneling of unapproved funding to subcontractors; and a number of occurrences the place 1000’s of {dollars} have been paid to people with out enough documentation.
Sadly, this can be a results of intentional choices. Throughout my practically seven years working on the Metropolitan King County Council, fairness was routinely hailed as a core worth that drove spending choices. It was within the identify of fairness that DCHS lowered contracting requirements and expanded its grant distribution to organizations that lacked expertise overseeing large-scale packages or navigating authorities contract necessities. Regardless of understanding this danger, DCHS violated its personal inside insurance policies by not performing even basic checks on the funding the agency distributed.
Even worse, DCHS knowingly gave public {dollars} to organizations which can be brazenly adversarial to accountability. As Restorative Group Pathways, one of many audited packages, once stated on its website: “The county doesn’t decide what our program seems like or how we go about working towards restorative justice, they usually haven’t any management over the funds we obtain … they aren’t our allies or colleagues.” The county’s present grantmaking practices can not proceed if the general public is to see our bucks used as meant.
Remember that August’s audit examined $34.4 million in county spending, which is a mere 2% of the $1.8 billion in complete grant funds that DCHS managed in 2023-2024. Since a whopping 48% of DCHS’ 2024 contracts are assessed in the audit as “high-risk,” the audit findings may solely be the tip of the iceberg.
It is a breach of public belief that deserves to be totally investigated expeditiously. Nevertheless, DCHS missed its Oct. 31 deadline to offer details about 19 contracts recognized as having cost points. This lack of urgency is gravely disappointing, a lot in order that King County Auditor Kymber Waltmunson requested that the investigation be entrusted to the Workplace of the Ombuds as a substitute.
This newest controversy isn’t unprecedented, indicating that King County must make foundational modifications. A 2021 Seattle Instances Watchdog investigation, “Upbeat image of massive Best Starts for Kids levy doesn’t tell King County voters full story,” described a number of circumstances of lacking public funds and circumstances of possible fraud. The damning investigation additionally highlighted that King County shares solely these efficiency metrics which can be favorable towards its spending — as if knowledge is an promoting software, not a transparency software.
Resolving the problems uncovered within the auditor’s report was a defining issue in the King County Executive race. As Government Girmay Zahilay steps into his new function, he has a recent alternative to direct the county to make accountability and transparency the driving values behind grant distribution. This is able to imply drastically slicing again on the a whole lot of tens of millions of {dollars}’ value of “high-risk” grants.
Taxpayers want extra spending oversight, extra audits and full accountability for any abuse of public funds. We additionally deserve that organizations looking for public {dollars} be held to increased requirements — not solely by means of their funds, however by demonstrating that they’re assembly efficiency targets. In the end, this is able to solely higher serve the better good by making certain that taxpayer funds are directed to the various efficient nonprofits that do very important work on behalf of our most weak neighbors.
