In this file photo from 2011, Jeremy Farmer is shown in his role as executive director at Just Food, 1200 E. 11th Street.

Even as Jeremy Farmer was stepping down Wednesday as Lawrence mayor, questions began swirling about Just Food’s 2014 income tax return.

Two days before, Farmer had unexpectedly resigned as executive director of Just Food, a nonprofit food bank, in part because of a $50,000 past-due bill for federal payroll taxes.

Now it appears Farmer provided a questionable income tax return earlier this summer to the United Way of Douglas County. Just Food has asked an accountant to review the income tax return, which was signed solely by Farmer.

In addition, Just Food has retained attorney John Bullock of Stevens & Brand LLP to handle a records request by the Journal-World, the attorney acknowledged Wednesday.

Farmer has claimed that he saved the food bank after he became the CEO in 2011.

On his Facebook page, his biography says he “propelled Just Food from the fringes of obscurity to being among the leaders of social change in Lawrence.”

The food bank has become the largest in Douglas County.

Farmer on Wednesday did not acknowledge multiple attempts to reach him by phone and in person for comment.

To qualify for funding from the United Way, nonprofit agencies must provide several financial forms, including the income tax Form 990 (a.k.a. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax), as well as other documents, said Erika Dvorske, president and CEO of the Douglas County United Way.

On May 15, Farmer signed the income tax return that showed the nonprofit had gross receipts of $2.2 million.

Dvorske said the United Way received the income tax return soon afterward.

“There was nothing alarming from my reading of it,” Dvorske said. “When it was turned into us, we presumed that it had been provided to the IRS.”

But it had not, the Journal-World learned Wednesday.

Just the day before, the newspaper had asked Kristi Henderson, president of the Just Food board of directors, for a copy of the agency’s income tax return, which is a public record.

Just Food has posted its 2012 and 2013 income tax returns on its website.

When Henderson didn’t respond to the request for the 2014 document, a reporter contacted Dvorske and asked for a copy of the tax return.

Dvorske sent a copy of it by email to the Journal-World and also to Elizabeth Keever, the interim executive director of Just Food, to let Keever know that she was sharing the public information, Dvorske said.

Thirty minutes later, Henderson, the board president, sent the Journal-World an email, saying she understood the United Way had provided the newspaper with a copy of the “2014 990.”

“This form has not been finalized or filed with the IRS,” Henderson wrote. “It is being reviewed by our accountant. Therefore, the numbers in it may change.”

Henderson said Just Food had received an extension from the IRS for the 2014 return and that when it was finally filed, Just Food would share it with the newspaper. It was not clear when the agency had filed for the IRS extension.

Bullock, the attorney, described the document that the United Way had as “a draft.”

“The final 990 has not been filed with the IRS,” Bullock told the newspaper. “It may be the same that gets filed with the IRS, but it is subject to a possible revision.”

Dvorske said the events of this week were unexpected.

“Given the events of the past few days, I am so surprised about everything,” she said.

She said the United Way was working with Just Food and its board to try to ensure that needy families were still able to get food.

“We want to support them as they pave their way through this,” Dvorske said. “The whole thing is very unfortunate for the community. We know there are a lot of families in the area that need the food.”

This story has been edited to correct a misspelled name. The president and CEO of Douglas County United Way is Erika Dvorske.