Riley County commissioners Monday approved a contract for advisory services for dispersing federal coronavirus relief funds. The county will contract with Witt O’Brien’s, a Risk Management and Emergency Response Consulting Firm. Budget and Finance Officer Tami Robison says Riley County’s portion of the governor’s Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) spending plan is around $15 million. The county is working on a resolution to be signed by July 15. The county selected this firm based on the magnitude of the dispersal and the firm’s ongoing work with helping Sedgwick County. Robison says neither county administration, nor any entity in the county has the manpower to take this on 24/7. The county has till the end of the year to complete this process. This process needs a firm that is well versed in single audit requirements, because any slip up could affect the county’s future federal funding. The Flint Hills Regional Council reached out to the county clerk to see if they could help, but Robison says they would have to drop everything for this audit. However, they will not turn away local help. This will help identify areas of the county that need those funds and get them that money.
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