County Ordered To Repay $55,000 Of Easy Money

Spokane County is being ordered to repay almost $55,000 in state money intended for public access improvements at the outlet of the Little Spokane River.

The state Department of Natural Resources demanded repayment in a letter calling the money “misappropriated.”

With repayment looming, county Commissioner Phil Harris said Monday he favors suing a Spokane man named Easy, who got the grant money.

“In fact, I’m going to insist on it,” Harris said.

In 1995, the state gave the grant money to the Spokane County Department of Parks and Recreation which, in turn, disbursed it to Easy, an environmental activist.

Easy was managing a project that was supposed to improve public access and make other improvements to the scenic area at the outlet of the Little Spokane River.

The state and county provided a total of $71,500 to kill weeds, plant native shrubs, publish a pamphlet, improve trails and install permanent signs.

But much of the money was spent on things not authorized by the DNR grant, including T-shirts, photographic supplies and the production of a book sold by Easy for $25 a copy.

He billed the county $40 an hour for his consulting services and tacked on an additional 15 percent of the total contract for administrative costs, county and state documents show.

Easy, who legally changed his name from Brian Donald Dumont, has refused comment about the grant.

“This letter is a formal request to Spokane County … to repay $54,708 of the misappropriated grant funds, consistent with the grant agreement terms,” DNR supervisor Lisa Randlette said in the letter to Spokane County.

It was addressed to Fran Boxer, the county’s assistant chief administrative officer. She assumed supervision of the county Parks and Recreation Department after the irregularities occurred under county parks director Wyn Birkenthal.

Boxer couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.

“I regret this course of action and the unfortunate events that took place during the grant,” Randlette wrote.

She said DNR officials realize the county relied on Easy, a private contractor, to run the project. The grant money was disbursed by Birkenthal.

Some of the money was disbursed after the county had received work estimates but not invoices for completed work.

Other receipts were for work outside the scope or dates of the contract.

“This was horrible,” Vicki Dalton, the county’s internal auditor, said of the way the grant money was monitored and spent.

But she estimated the county should not have to repay more than $45,000.

, DataTimes