IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s auditor is warning that the governor’s decision to spend $21 million in federal pandemic relief funds on a new executive branch software system would not be allowed and should be abandoned.

State Auditor Rob Sand said that using the federal money to pay for Workday, a cloud-based program for the executive branch’s human resources and finances, is an inappropriate use under the law.

He says that if the money isn’t redeployed for a different purpose, Iowa taxpayers could be on the hook to repay the federal government $21 million later on.

Sand said his conclusion was shared by the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General, which is responsible for overseeing the appropriate use of those funds.

“The governor has chosen to spend $21 million on Workday, an HR/accounting computer system intended to replace the state’s legacy mainframe system. The state contracted with Workday in 2019, which put in place at that time a regular payment schedule. The CRF dollars would be used to meet those regular payments contemplated in the 2019 contract,” Sand told state officials.