State auditors haven’t budged from their claim that Jefferson County needs to put back $5 million for closure and post-closure costs at its former and current landfills.
Meeting last week with a special committee formed to look into the comptroller’s finding, members of the county finance committee delved into what Finance Director Langdon Potts referred to as the “biggest issue” that keeps lingering in the county audit from year to year.
Joe M. High, a member of the audit committee, said his research shows that about $5 million in uncapitalized costs at both the old and new landfills should “do away with the audit finding.” However, the comptroller’s office did not respond to a recent plea from the county to consider costs already incurred at the old landfill, which local officials believe should reduce the need for reserve funds from about $2 million to just over $200,000, said David Gaut, a commissioner and administrative employee in the sanitation department.