OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt has ordered an immediate halt to a federally funded weatherization program administered by an Oklahoma City-area nonprofit after a forensic investigation identified at least $663,000 in questioned or unallowable costs.
The directive, issued Thursday to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, applies to the weatherization program run by the Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma and Canadian Counties Inc., according to the governor’s office.
The governor’s office said the forensic review found “significant mismanagement” in the administration of the program. Stitt also directed Attorney General Gentner Drummond to investigate potential violations of state and federal law related to the alleged misuse of funds.
“Taxpayer dollars are not a slush fund,” Stitt said in a statement. “When state or federal funds are mismanaged, we are going to stop it, investigate it, and hold people accountable.”
The federally funded Weatherization Assistance Program is designed to help low-income households reduce energy costs through home efficiency upgrades such as insulation, air sealing and heating and cooling system improvements. In Oklahoma, the program is administered by the Department of Commerce through a network of community action agencies.
The governor’s directive targets the program administered by CAAOKC. The release does not indicate whether other providers in the statewide network are affected.
Stitt also credited Oklahoma Department of Commerce Executive Director John Budd for identifying the issue and acting quickly.
The duration of the halt and the scope of the attorney general’s investigation were not immediately clear.
