Tuscaloosa owes $1.2 million to the Feds’?

During a year long study of how Federal Emergency Management Agency funds were spent after the April 27, 2011, tornado, it has been determined that the city of Tuscaloosa must return some $1.2 million to FEMA.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General recently released its findings and indicated that the city improperly sought bids for consultant work and inadequately reported insurance proceeds that, in turn, led to FEMA approved funds that the city of Tuscaloosa was not entitled to.

Officials here in Tuscaloosa deny the claim that the city did anything improper and indicate that the Office of Inspector General used outdated data to determine its findings on the insurance claims.

A spokesperson for FEMA indicated that it is too early to know how much, if any, of the $1.2 million would have to be  returned by the city of Tuscaloosa.