Auditor gives Cooper County ‘poor’ rating after noting late fees on credit cards, claims 911 sales tax doesn’t cover services
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The state auditor gave Cooper County a “poor” rating on Wednesday.
A press release and audit report claim the county needs to “do a better job of managing the county’s finances and putting it on a better trajectory by doing more immediate and long-term planning,” Fitzpatrick wrote.
The report claims the County Commission and sheriff’s office “do not monitor credit card limits and limits for some cards are excessive based on their credit use during 2024.”
Credit card bills were not paid on time in 2024 and the county totaled $1,839 in late fees and finance charges.
The report also alleges the county’s accrual system “did not accrue vacation leave at the correct rates” in 2024 for five of 11 employees “who were haphazardly selected for review.”
The release and report claim the General Revenue Fund is in decline and is expected to have an ending balance of $229,198 by the end of the year. It had $1.6 million in general revenue at the end of previous years, the release says. It cites a $1.15 million property purchase for a new sheriff’s office as a major reason for the decline.
It also claims the county’s 911 sales tax was not able to cover the cost of emergency services and that its E-911 fund would have been in the red by more than $250,000 last year if the county didn’t transfer $310,000 from the General Revenue Fund. Another $200,000 transfer is scheduled for this year.
“Given the condition of the GRF, funds may not be available for continued transfers,” the report says. “These transfers from the GRF to the E-911 Fund jeopardize the county’s ability to maintain a sufficient reserve to address budget shortfalls in the event of an economic downturn or other significant financial emergency.”
Another portion of the report claims the county’s clerk “did not accurately calculate the property tax levy reduction amounts or retain sales tax rollback calculations for 2024,” which led to collecting $108,000 “in excess property taxes for 2023 and 2024.”
Cooper County audit resultsDownload Click here to follow the original article.