ECHO Housing could lose the money it receives from the city of Evansville after a city council vote Monday night.
Councilman Justin Elpers co-sponsored an ordinance in April that would stop city money from going to ECHO Housing. The move came after it went public that Stephanie TenBarge, ECHO’s former executive director, had used the organization’s money to pay her own property taxes.
Elpers said the council has tabled the ordinance twice since it was introduced, awaiting the results of an audit.
ECHO did an audit and turned it over to police in July, but its contents remain under wraps because of the ongoing investigation.
So Elpers still hasn’t seen it. He plans to vote to stop payments to ECHO as a preventative measure to protect taxpayer money.
"We could get that investigation back and they could find something else," Elpers said. "I want to see the investigation first."
ECHO Housing could not be reached for the story, but its interim executive director Chris Metz addressed the council at a Septemer meeting. "We have no knowledge of any additional individuals who are accused or there’s alleged misappropriation of funds," Metz said.
Metz told council the organization has new protocols to avoid financial mismanagement. These include outsourcing payroll and requiring board approval for large payments.
Elpers said funding from the city makes up around five percent of ECHO’s budget.
