Ohio: worker training money possibly misspent

COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio’s government watchdog says $255,000 in federal stimulus money for training state workers might have been improperly spent.

State Inspector General Randall Meyer’s report released Tuesday said he found undocumented wages and unallowable expenses.

The Columbus Dispatch reports the inspector general says grant money was used to pay cellphone bills and buy gift cards. The state report also questioned staff wages and benefits paid to organizations that didn’t provide required documentation.

The report says an Ohio Department of Job and Family Services office failed to adequately oversee the $1 million federal grant for the jobs-training initiative for southwest Ohio.

A Jobs and Family Services spokesman says none of the employees referred to in the report work for the state agency. The agency is reviewing the report.