Management Alert - FEMA Should Recover $6.2 Million in Public Assistance Funds for Disaster Repairs That Are Not the Legal Responsibility of Richland County, North Dakota

We determined that Richland County, North Dakota does not have legal responsibility for the disaster-related repairs on township roadway projects. Rather, the repairs are the legal responsibility of individual organized townships. In the four disasters we reviewed, funding for 283 projects totaling 6.2 million is ineligible because the County does not have the legal responsibility for repairs to township roadways. Legal responsibility is one of the cornerstones of overall Public Assistance funding eligibility. We recommended FEMA determine whether there is a legal basis for allowing the County to act as the subgrantee for townships; disallow the costs as ineligible unless a legal basis is determined; and if FEMA determines the County may enter an agreement with the townships, require the agreement be in writing for future disasters. We made three recommendations and FEMA Region VIII concurred with all three of our recommendations.