OAK GROVE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – At the Oak Grove Committee of the Whole meeting last week, Interim Finance Director Matt Egbert provided several updates on the city’s fiscal year and outlined future plans.

After his review, it was found that the Oak Grove fiscal year 2023 audit had not been completed, which means the 2024 audit cannot proceed until the 2023 audit is finalized. “The previous director did not get the auditors the information they needed,” said Egbert.

Egbert said auditors are scheduled to come the week of Aug. 19, and he is getting documentation together to complete the 2023 audit. “It’s not bad news, just inconvenient news.”

Egbert also mentioned that in the coming weeks, they will calculate property tax bills, and the city has applied for a state grant to purchase new equipment for Wades Way Park. Additionally, he noted they are working on allocating ARPA funds for the water tower project. He proposed a working document for a new chart of accounts, which includes a separate Parks and Recreation Department distinct from the community center, to better categorize parks like Wades Way. Reflecting on his recent efforts, Egbert said, “I am trying to get to a clean slate to move us forward.”

Committee members then decided to move his appointment as finance director to a future City Council meeting.

Allocation of ARPA funds

Committee members discussed the allocation of ARPA funds, in which Oak Grove received around $1 million, which must be allocated by the end of the calendar year.

In a previous meeting, the City Council approved $250,000 for radios and emergency responders for Christian County. Many members say the previous system was outdated and a new system will allow for better communication between county and city emergency responders.

Committee members discussed using the remaining funds for upgraded servers at the Utility office, replacing their Edmunds accounting system with a new software and using funds for infrastructure in the city.

City Clerk Lorelynn Fisher read aloud an email from Public Works Director Brian Ahart asking whether ARPA funds could be used for the upfront engineering costs of the water project, and also proposing using the funds to replace all the meters with cellular-enabled ones. “This might be our only chance to make these upgrades,” Fisher noted.