The SO Consortium, also known as the Area 1 Workforce Development Board, in Scioto County, has hit a significant stumbling block with the Auditor of State’s Office branding it as "unauditable." Citing a lack of suitable financial records for the period of July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025, auditors were unable to complete their work, finding themselves without the necessary financial filings for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 or a reconciled cash balance as of June 30, 2024.
A letter from the Auditor of State's Office to Director Crystal Keaton and fiscal officer Steve Sturgill marked the severity of the situation. The letter firmly stated that if the SO Consortium doesn't get its act together within 90 days to provide the required data for a proper audit, there could be legal ramifications. Specifically, this might result in a subpoena from the Attorney General for Keaton and Sturgill to shed light on their failure to prepare the financial records. The legal action falls under Ohio Revised Code § 117.42 and could also force them to produce records necessary to complete an audit.
As per the information obtained by the Ohio Auditor of State, the SO Consortium is not completely without recourse, they can seek assistance from the Auditor of State’s Local Government Services division or an independent accounting firm. But the window of opportunity is tight – the Auditor’s Office has stated they will not consider an inability to meet the auditors’ schedule as a mitigating factor to extend the 90-day deadline set forth.
