State asks feds to audit Madison County CSEPP

The state Division of Emergency Management has requested a federal audit of the Madison County Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program following a Richmond Register investigation that turned up problems in the program's records.

CSEPP is responsible for protecting residents in the instance of an emergency involving the chemical weapons at the Blue Grass Army Depot, as well as for providing education, assistance and alerts about emergency situations.

The newspaper investigation discovered records of more than $15,000 in payments for the delivery of shelter-in-place kits that were either improperly accounted for or not accounted for at all.

"The majority of the funds are federal funds, so obviously when such allegations are made we need to look into it," said Malcolm Franklin, state emergency management director.

The federal audit will look at the entire program, including the delivery of Tone Alert Radios and the collective protection program, Franklin said.

Judge-Executive Kent Clark said the program is audited by the state every year, but after meeting with Franklin last week, the pair decided a federal audit would bring all aspects of the program to the table.

"Because it's a state agency handling the money into a county agency, we just felt comfortable bringing the feds in to audit the agency," Clark said.

CSEPP director Carlis Richards said he and his employees will fully cooperate with the auditors.

"I'm glad we're having the audit," Richards said. "I don't know what it will reveal, if anything."

Richards said he is not sure how long the audit will take or when it will begin. Still, he is confident the audit will clean the slate for his office and allow it to move beyond any rumors or allegations of past wrongdoing, he said.

The audit request followed the filing of a lawsuit April 20 in U.S. District Court in Lexington by a former financial supervisor at CSEPP against her ex-supervisor and the fiscal court.

Madison County resident Tamitha Everard, who was hired by the fiscal court in September 2003, alleged she was fired by then-Madison County Emergency Management Agency director Steve Popyach in January 2004 after she conducted an audit of CSEPP showing expenses for which there were no supporting receipts, according to the suit.

In late October or early November 2003, Everard discovered a misappropriation of CSEPP funds used to set up a countywide computer system, according to the suit. Everard alleges the defendants authorized the establishment of the computer system despite instruction not to do so from the Kentucky Emergency Management Agency/CSEPP.

Citing health reasons, Popyach resigned from his position as director of the Madison County EMA at the end of April. Popyach could not be reached Wednesday for comment about the audit or his resignation.

At its meeting Tuesday in Berea, the fiscal court appointed 911 director Stacy Hubbard to replace Popyach for a six-month trial period. The court plans to hire a dispatcher to ease the additional workload for Hubbard.

"We're going to try this on a trial basis and if it doesn't work, we'll do something else," Clark said at the court's meeting.

Magistrate William Tudor suggested that moving Hubbard into the position of EMA director could speed up the process of centralizing emergency dispatch operations within the county.

By Ryan Garrett/Register News Writer. Ryan Garrett can be reached at rgarrett@richmondregister.com or at (859) 623-1669 Ext. 234