City Returns Grant Money

For over a year now I have been receiving a copy of the monthly payables from the City. There were two interesting checks in the August payables. In an earlier email to some residents I pointed out that, per the Finance Director, the City had not spent $1,939,740.23 of the Adams County Road and Street half-percent sales tax you authorized in November of 2001. Why?

From the August payables we find that the City also returned, unused grant money as follows: $41,999.59 that was not used on the Sensory playground improvements, and $87,500 that was not used from the Northwest Open Space Grant.

I understand that Adams County will soon be auditing all grants and the pass-through funds soon. Good! There is one question. The City Council did not vote to kill the projects, so why was the staff allowed to cancel the projects on their own volition?