Iowa’s road use tax fund has been shortchanged by $10.4 million over four budget years due to a misallocation of $27.5 million in court costs, according to a report released Wednesday by the Iowa Attorney’s Office. (Official Gazette)
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DES MOINES — State funds that support road and bridge infrastructure are short by more than $10.4 million in four budget years due to misallocation of more than $27.5 million in court costs, according to the latest numbers released Wednesday by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. I am doing it.
Other significant funding gaps include $7.2 million that would have gone to a state program that helps victims of violent crimes with certain expenses, and $4 million that would have gone to a fund to support juvenile detention facilities. It is.
The Iowa Attorney General’s Office first disclosed the misallocation of funds last week.
In Iowa, funds paid to courts in the form of fines, fees, and penalties in criminal cases are sourced from a variety of sources, including state funds for victim compensation, emergency services, road infrastructure, county attorneys, and the state’s general fund. distributed to the source.
Under the state’s apportionment system, court clerks enter litigation costs into a coding program that is supposed to route the funds to the appropriate source. The Iowa Attorney General’s Office announced last week that a coding and programming error resulted in millions of dollars in fees being paid to the wrong sources.
Additional documents produced Wednesday by the Iowa Attorney’s Office showed more than $27.5 million was incorrectly allocated to the state’s general fund and provided more details on where those funds should be sent.
road use tax fund
More than $10.4 million was supposed to go to the Road Use Tax Fund. The Road Use Tax Fund is the state’s primary source of funding for road and bridge construction and is administered by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
The 2023 state budget year, the most recent available from the state’s Bipartisan Legislative Office, saw just under $2 billion spent from the fund.
Road use tax funds go to DOT and local governments for the construction and maintenance of roads in the state.
At the state level, revenue “if misdirected would reduce the funds available to complete the road construction projects listed in the five-year Iowa Transportation Improvement Program,” according to an Iowa Department of Transportation spokesperson. said Andrea Henry.
Henry said the funding will not directly impact DOT’s day-to-day operations, such as staffing and equipment.
Traffic moves along Mount Vernon Road Southeast during construction at Southeast 19th Street in Cedar Rapids on June 11. A coding error resulted in $10.4 million in legal fees that were supposed to go to the Road Use Tax Fund to be incorrectly transferred. (Jim Slosialek/The Gazette)
Other funds
More than $7.2 million was supposed to go to the Crime Victim Compensation Fund, which helps victims of violent crimes and is run by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.
The program pays for crime-related expenses not covered by insurance or other sources, such as medical care, counseling, lost wages, and funeral expenses. The AG’s office says it can also pay for expenses such as replacing clothing held in evidence, child care, housing and shelter costs, relocation and travel expenses, and crime scene cleanup.
“My office’s Crime Victim Compensation Fund is now more than $7.2 million short for crime victim services,” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Byrd said in a statement. “No domestic violence victim should stay with their abuser because they can’t afford to leave home.”
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Byrd (Jim Slosialek/The Gazette)
More than $4 million was supposed to go to the Juvenile Detention Center Fund. The fund funds juvenile detention centers and is operated by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
Iowa Health Services did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
More than $7.2 million was supposed to be paid to the county in county attorney collection fees.
The Iowa General Fund, where most of the misallocations were transferred, now has a surplus of $2.2 billion, according to the Legislative Office.
what happened?
The program issue arose in the 2021 state budget year after lawmakers changed the court cost allocation system during the 2020 and 2021 legislative sessions, according to the Iowa Department of Justice.
New laws enacted in several consecutive years each required programmatic changes to the distribution system. A report from the National Center for State Courts says changes in state law have created confusion in implementing the new coding.
The Iowa Attorney’s Office’s information technology staff is working to implement the changes recommended in the report, with completion expected this fall, the court said.
New documents produced Wednesday include a memo written by Kent Farber, director of finance for the Iowa Attorney’s Office, stating that all financial calculations are “accurate to the best of our knowledge at this time.” There is.
“If we become aware of any limitations to financial calculations or technical issues, we will provide an update,” Farber’s memo said.
Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com
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