A state audit is raising questions about how one central Iowa city spent nearly $200,000 in taxpayer money. A 73-page annual audit of the state’s 2017 finances revealed that the state’s issue all has to do with how Grimes went about letting its city administrator of 24 years go. “The public deserves to know how its money is being spent and why it’s being spent,” said Andy Nielson, deputy auditor of state. The city of Grimes has fallen short in that regard, Nielsen said, at least when it comes to its former city administrator, Kelley Brown. The audit shows that when the city didn’t renew her contract in December, taxpayers had to pay one year of her salary and benefits, which was nearly $200,000. That’s only because, per her contract, the city didn’t give her 90 days written notice of its decision. “They only allowed about 30 days,” Nielsen said. The audit said officials in Grimes did not document the public purpose for this decision and that auditors were “unable to determine how the taxpayers’ best interests were served by these actions.” “All disbursements should have a public purpose and that public purpose should be documented,” Nielsen said. “The harder it is to document a public purpose, the less likely there is one. The third one is, if there isn’t a public purpose, why should the public pay for it?” The city responded to the audit, claiming it did supply a purpose. But the audit concluded the city’s response included “several erroneous statements” and didn’t explain why it chose to incur the expense on the taxpayers’ dime.“In our estimation, the explanation of public purpose is still lacking,” Nielsen said. “Government is supposed to be accountable and transparent, and we like it that way.” Interim City Administrator Mark Arentsen sent KCCI a statement, saying in part: “In December, the Grimes City Council voted unanimously during an open city council meeting not to renew the employment contract and to honor the contract’s buy-out provision. The resolution and agreement to honor the buy-out provision are also a matter of public record.”KCCI contacted Brown, but she declined an on-camera interview. She told KCCI in a statement that her 24 years on the job “far exceeded” those of other city administrators. "During that time, Grimes was one of the fastest growing cities in Iowa, and the population increased from under 3000 to over 13,000 residents," she said. My tenure as Grimes City Administrator far exceeded the average tenure of other city managers or city administrators, and turnover in those positions is not unusual as cities change over time. I continue to make Grimes my home, and wish the city well!"Nielsen said the audit found no wrongdoing on the part of the city, but it recommended the city do better at documenting its purpose for spending public money.