The El Paso County commissioners passed a pair of resolutions Tuesday brought on by uncertainty surrounding a Sheriff’s Office bank account that apparently was unnoticed by county auditors for years.

The commission made the sheriff’s commissary account a part of the county’s general fund, and passed a resolution emphasizing that all bank accounts controlled by elected officials or departments be coordinated through the treasurer’s office. The latter was a move that county budget officer Nicola Sapp hinted was probably not necessary.

“This just reinforces state statute for the Board of Commissioners,” Sapp said.

Sapp pointed to Title 30, Article 10, Part 7 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, noting that the resolution is a redundancy.

The statute states: “It is the duty of the county treasurer to receive all moneys belonging to the county, from whatsoever source they may be derived.”

The reassignment of the commissary program comes in the wake of controversy that arose late last week when news reports said the bank account – used for holding money generated through the jail commissary and fees charged for serving court documents in civil cases – had not been created through the treasurer’s office.

Sheriff Terry Maketa and former treasurer Sandra Damron reported conflicting stories of the account to current treasurer Bob Balink and the media.

The account came to Balink’s attention in June 2013, he said, when a large transfer was found while compiling a six-month summary report.

Balink told The Gazette the commissary account had not been a part of the annual audit process for the county.

“It is important to be able to track this,” District 3 Commissioner Sallie Clark said.

The Sheriff’s Office responded Thursday to reports about the commissary account, outlining the history of the fund and reasons for any inconsistencies between information given to the treasurer’s office and what Maketa’s staff reported to the county.

Sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Jeff Kramer said a software glitch caused inaccurate amounts of money to be sent. Then “large checks” were written dating back to 2011 to “clean up” the account balance.

A press release that Kramer sent Tuesday includes quotes from Maketa. In the release, the sheriff mentioned comments made July 22 by District 5 Commissioner Peggy Littleton in which she once again called for Maketa’s resignation and cited a “lack of transparency” in the Sheriff’s Office.

“The public needs to be made aware that the Sheriff’s Office has historically and will continue to follow all county procurement guidelines and budget requirements as dictated by county policy,” Maketa said in the release.

He said any information the county provides to the public in the future “would only include facts.”

Maketa has been under investigation by the county since late May after complaints were filed accusing him of sexual improprieties, creating a hostile work environment, discrimination and removing almost all oversight of the Sheriff’s Office annual budget.

Also in late May, the county commissioners cast a unanimous vote of no confidence in the sheriff and called for Maketa’s resignation.

Maketa investigation

In other business Tuesday, the commissioners approved three purchase orders related to the independent investigation into Maketa’s conduct.

The orders totaled $175,000 and go to pay for services from investigators at Mountain States Employers Council, financial consultants with RubinBrown and legal representation for the BOCC from Sherman & Howard.

The board voted on the orders collectively, approving them with a 5-0 vote.

The only comments about the purchase orders came Littleton who insisted that Sapp and the budget office make sure the money comes out of the Sheriff’s Office’s budget.

Sapp recommended approval and said the commissioners at a later date could add the money to the Sheriff’s Office budget.

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Contact Matt Steiner: 636-0362

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In the wake of yet another scandal involving Sheriff Terry Maketa, the El Paso Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a resolution that reiterates a law requiring that all county bank accounts flow through the county treasurer’s office. Image from a video by John Schrioyer.