The Oklahoma Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) recently shared its findings with lawmakers, delving into the financial management of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. According to KFOR, LOFT's executive director, Regina Birchum, has called for a new budget that "reflects reality" after spending six weeks examining the department's fiscal strategy.
Despite attempts to reconcile budget numbers, ODMHSAS still faces a $27.4 million discrepancy from its initial $63 million shortfall announcement. This unexplained variance persists after the agency's multiple steps to address the deficit, reported by NonDoc. The adjustments included reallocating unencumbered funds, canceling contracts, and revising payments to service providers, eventually scaling down the shortfall to $6.2 million as the end of the fiscal year approaches.
Further complicating the situation, a recent legislative review highlighted persistent budget gaps. Lawmakers displayed frustration as the agency's interim chief financial officer, Skip Leonard, was unable to offer thorough answers concerning the budget he oversees. According to a KOSU report, the agency posted a job opening for a full-time CFO the day after Leonard's testimony, signaling a possible shift in the financial leadership.
While Birchum acknowledges that the Department of Mental Health has been cooperative, she noted that the probe into their financial challenges has been hampered, unable to obtain certain materials, possibly due to a high turnover of new personnel. The issues are not fresh, Birchum clarified in her statement to KOSU, implying that many of the financial discrepancies currently under scrutiny were "inherited" by the incoming administration.
