County must pay for work

Cities not obligated to fund watchdog agency, court rules

Now that a five-year legal battle appears to be over, Palm Beach County needs to fully fund a watchdog agency that seeks to eliminate fraud and waste in government, Inspector General John Carey said Thursday.

The Office of Inspector General, which has an annual budget of about $3 million, has been operating at roughly half staff because of a funding dispute between Palm Beach County and some city governments, Carey said.

“I am looking forward now to working with the county to fully fund the Office of Inspector General so we can serve the citizens of Palm Beach County as they envisioned,” he said.

Palm Beach County Attorney Denise Nieman urged county commissioners this week not to appeal the latest decision to the Florida Supreme Court. The Fourth District Court of Appeal dealt the county a setback, ruling that it cannot force cities to help fund the office.

In a memo to commissioners, Nieman wrote appealing that decision carries the risk of creating “an unfavorable ruling that could have a negative statewide impact.”

“Our efforts are better spent reviewing all options available to us in light of the court’s opinion, including but not limited to, service contracts with the municipalities,” she wrote. “Just because an appeal will not be filed does not mean the matter is closed.”

The Office of Inspector General was created in 2010 by a voter referendum to root out waste, fraud and abuse after a wave of arrests of elected officials in a federal corruption sting. Cities, though, filed suit and argued the county didn’t have the authority to force them