DELPHI, Ind. (WISH) — Carroll Manor in Carroll County has been forced to ask the community for food and other supply donations in the past week.

Carroll Manor is a county-owned and -operated house that provides meals, cleaning, and some assisted-living aid to people who live there.

Carroll Manor told I-Team 8 the issue was caused because a county official hasn’t been doing their job.

Jayme Smith, director of Carroll Manor, says she submits claims to the Carroll County Auditor’s Office, and the auditor is not paying the bills in a timely fashion, which is what forced them to ask the community for help.

“There were things that I had turned in weeks ago that just weren’t paid for about five weeks. One was the local grocer that wasn’t paid, that I had submitted a couple weeks ago,” Smith said.

That is one of the bills that put Carroll Manor in a tough situation. “We couldn’t charge to them anymore. We had to pay upfront or our account was placed on hold,” Smith said.

That basically stopped the flow of food, toilet papers, cleaning supplies and other goosd to help local residents.

Smith said the cash flow issues make her job of maintaining and operating the Manor “very hard.”

Carroll County Auditor Beth L. Myers said this situation was caused because claims were being turned in past the deadline to be fulfilled. “Department heads are supposed to file their claims around the third Friday of every month, and then we pay out the first Monday the next month, and, if they’re not in and they’re late, then they have to wait. I mean, that’s the process. We have to have a stopping point.”

A lack of money in the Manor’s main account also is a contributing factor.

The auditor said, “There might of been a couple claims that couldn’t get paid because there was no money in there. I mean, she can’t run negative, and I can’t pay a bill in the red. State Board of Accounts doesn’t like that.”

Smith said, “There was just a lot of inconsistency there, and sometimes it was because they would say we didn’t have the money in our main fund, but there was money in the donation fund, so there was still money to pay it, it just wasn’t paid.”

Myers said, “Bills are getting paid. I do them as soon as they are brought in on the time schedule that we have. We can’t make special time schedules for everybody.”

The auditor praised Smith’s work ethic in an interview with I-Team 8. She said Smith inherited a tough situation financially with the Manor when she took over in February.

“When she came in there was not much money in the fund. So, actually, I think she’s done well trying to keep it going. I mean, she works hard,” Myers said.

Smith said, “I hope we can resolve all this.”

The Carroll County auditor told I-Team 8 she’s going to continue to work with the director of Carroll Manor to make sure that their bills get paid on time.