The end may be near for La Salle County departments that have been enjoying "private checkbook" control of some state and federal grant funds they have received.

County Auditor Jody Wilkinson is seeking a stricter system for tracking La Salle County grant money.

Tuesday, Wilkinson appeared before the County Board's Legislation and Rules Committee with a written proposal for a uniform accounting system for all grants applied for and received by the county.

She said while some departments — such as the highway department and the emergency management agency — are meticulous about reporting grant applications and spending, others are less forthcoming. In some unidentified departments, grant funds are spent from "private checkbooks" maintained by the departments, she said.

County Board Chairman Jerry Hicks, D-Marseilles, concurred with the plan, saying the information on grants applied for and received at the department level that reaches his office is sometimes sketchy.

Wilkinson said the change also is being spurred by the county's new outside auditing firm, which requires all grant information be assembled in Wilkinson's office when it is time for the firm to perform the annual audit required by law.

The procedure Wilkinson submitted would begin to track grants from the time they are applied for and place grant money in the proper budget accounts where funds could tracked.

The applications also would be routed to the county auditor for review and board chairman for approval. Approved grants also would be tracked and a presentation on each grant given to the County Board for awareness purposes at the regular County Board meeting following the grant's award.