KTKA

At last week's Shawnee County commission meeting, Treasurer Larry Wilson made a request for funding for a new accountant position and the commissioners approved that request.

At that same meeting, Wilson told commissioners he had funds in his budget to pay for the new position. However, one day later he submitted a request for the commissioners to fund the $58,000 salary.

The Treasurer stood before the commissioners on Monday still asking for money. A few hours later he told 49 News that he "knew what he was doing" when he made the financial request.

Monday morning, commissioners rejected that request because Wilson told them the week before that he had the money to fund the additional position.

Wilson claimed that he had the money for the salary in his budget all along, but told 49 News he just wanted the commissioners to give his office $58,000 because they cut his budget the year before. He said the money would have made it so his office would not have taken a budget hit.

Wilson said he will go ahead with the hiring of a new accountant and his office will pay the employee $58,000. He told us he will shift money around in the current budget to pay for the new position.

Wilson said he believed the creation of the new position will help solve his office's problems. In recent years the treasurer's office has failed to get bank reconciliations done on time.

The county has auditors coming in to audit county records at the end of May, and Wilson's office must have all bank reconciliations completed for them to proceed. Last year, outside auditors had to leave and come back to finish their job according to Financial Administrator, Marti Lisinger.

In 2009, auditors cost $70,000. That cost would be approximately the same this year, if all information is provided on time.