Council to consider internal audit of mayor’s homeland security office

The Metro Council on Wednesday will consider launching an internal audit of the Mayor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Councilman Chandler Loupe placed the item on the agenda and says he’d be happy to conduct the audit himself or have another city-parish department do it. “I believe they’ve been wasting our money. It’s just that simple. I believe they’ve been buying stuff we just don’t need,” Loupe says, citing iPads, leather furniture and office makeovers as a few examples. Loupe says the timing of the audit is not coincidental. Mayor Kip Holden and Sheriff Sid Gautreaux have been at odds for months regarding who has authority over grant spending from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, which is administered locally by MOHSEP. Last week, GOHSEP stepped in and took control of grants that have been delayed for more than a year due to the dispute. Loupe says his resolution would give subpoena power to whoever conducts the audit, adding he would “probably start right at the top.” On Friday, Mayor Pro Tem Mike Walker sent a letter to his fellow Metro Council members outlining his recommendations for how the grant situation should be handled. One of his recommendations is an audit, but he suggested it be done independently. Holden has released a statement defending his office’s handling of the grants, saying “no money has been misused, mismanaged or misallocated” and emphasizing the city-parish has not lost any grant funding. Council meetings begin at 4 p.m. on the third floor of the Governmental Building, 222 St. Louis St. -Steve Sanoski