CENTRAL - A councilwoman in Central claims the city attempted to use federal grant money improperly, but Central Mayor Wade Evans is pushing back, calling this wildly inaccurate. 

On Saturday, Central Councilwoman D'Ann Wells made a post on social media claiming the city was cited for a major discrepancy in the annual audit because Central attempted to use grant money from the American Rescue Plan in a way the grant doesn't allow.

In a statement Wells sent to WBRZ, she says her post reflects concerns raised by the audit regarding a non-compliance issue tied to grant-related policies and procedures.

Evans claims there was no issue with ARPA funding as it relates to the audit. He says the city had one clerical recommendation, related to how the city tracks federal grants.

"It wasn't a discrepancy so much. It was a finding that says, 'Hey, your reporting for federal grants needs to be adjusted in how you do it,' so we did," Evans said.

According to the 2025 audit, the city's policies and procedures documenting federal grants were not up to date with current federal requirements and did not cover all aspects of compliance regarding federal programs.

"We were doing it the way we always did it, and then they changed the requirement and, you know, we're not plugged in to every nuance, and so that's why you have an audit team to make sure that what you're doing is best practices," Evans said.

Evans says they want to ensure they remain compliant with the legislative auditors' office so the city does not lose state grant money through GOHSEP or any of the other agencies.

"The fact is that the city of Central is in better shape today than it's ever been. We are fixing more roads, digging more ditches, managing our money more effectively, and doing things for our citizens, so to me it's nonsense," Evans said.

Councilwoman Wells says her focus is on financial transparency, accurate budgeting, and ensuring grant policies and procedures are followed appropriately moving forward.

You can read the full statement from Councilwoman Wells below: 

My post reflects concerns raised by the audit regarding a noncompliance issue tied to grant-related policies and procedures, as well as the resulting budget amendments within the Capital Outlay & Improvement Fund. The audit reflects a significant downward amendment in projected intergovernmental grant revenue — from $6,104,040 originally budgeted to $1,752,970 in the final budget, with $2,312,794 reflected as actual revenue for FY 2024–2025.

Additionally, this discrepancy and the scale of the budget amendment were not explained to the council or the public at the time the budget was presented, which raises concerns about transparency in the budgeting process.

My focus is on financial transparency, accurate budgeting, and ensuring grant policies and procedures are followed appropriately moving forward. You’re welcome to reference my public post for context.