A string of bookkeeping issues, including a stalled clean energy project, is drawing scrutiny in Arkansas after auditors found that Jefferson County paid $305,000 for solar panels that still had not been installed by the date of the audit report.
The audit also flagged nearly $900,000 in misclassified county judge expenditures, raising concerns about how public money is being handled and whether residents are being denied the savings and public benefits that infrastructure investments are supposed to deliver.
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On Aug. 13, Jefferson County officials went before the Arkansas Legislative Joint Auditing Committee to respond to issues raised in the county’s 2024 audit, The Pine Bluff Commercial reported.
One of the biggest issues centered on a 2021 payment for solar panels meant for three county buildings; years later, the panels were still not installed…