Lang
3/4/25
A report released by State of Iowa Auditor Rob Sand on Tuesday shows tens of thousands of dollars in improper or unsupported disbursements from the Johnson County Conservation Department.
The investigation covered January 1st 2019 to June 30th of 2024. It shows over $63,000 of improper disbursements, over $24,000 in unsupported disbursements, and over $5,000 of uncollected revenue under former Conservation Director Larry Gullett and Operations Superintendent Wade Schultz. The improper disbursements identified include over $38,000 of unauthorized payroll and related payroll costs for Gullett. Gullett and Schultz placed on administrative leave last June following a May 2024 closed-door Conservation Board meeting to discuss what was described as a “law enforcement investigation”. Gullett died in September and was replaced by Brad Freidhof last month. Schultz is still on paid leave.
Cellphone records show Schultz was out of the county on several occasions when he wrote down on his timesheets that he had been working in the office. That cost the county an estimated $33,000 in pay and benefits.
The Johnson County Conservation Board released a statement on the report Tuesday morning, saying that immediately upon becoming aware of potential irregularities, the board cooperated with the County Attorney and Sheriff’s Office and asked Sand for assistance. The Board says it will implement the recommendations listed in the report. In addition, Johnson County government says it is implementing a comprehensive inventory and procurement management system, expected to be online in July.
A copy of the report can be found here.