TOPEKA — Auditors say a Kansas fund designed to create jobs sometimes awards funds to groups that aren’t clearly related to economic development.
The state Department of Commerce controls the Kansas Job Creation Fund. In an audit released Monday, auditors reported the agency had no written policies to guide how the funds are awarded.
The Wichita Eagle reports the commerce department required some companies to produce jobs and other measurable activity in order to receive funds but didn’t have the same requirements for others.
The agency has provided 71 awards totaling $25.7 million during the past five years. The fund receives about $3.5 million annually from state income taxes.
Commerce Secretary David Toland said in a letter to auditors that the program needs to be flexible to help the businesses it serves.
