More Money Missing

 This spreadsheet means the mayor and council should not remain in elected office.

·         Check kiting is writing checks with insufficient funds. It is illegal.

·         Giving out free food is illegal.

·         Unauthorized transfers are a form of fraud.

·         The IRS requires the city (as an employer) to report the personal use of city vehicles (as part of their salary package.) The mayor refuses to report these taxable benefits—and that is illegal.

·         Every year, the city says they are going to account for their fixed assets, but for 15 YEARS, they have not accounted for them. (Fixed assets are purchased for long-term use and are not easily converted to cash.)

“Material weakness” is an auditor’s term that translates to “SOS-sound the alarms!” It means the city is lacking in their internal controls.

Most cities allow citizens to access financial records online. We had to go through the state auditor to get it. 

At the bottom of the spreadsheet are comments from our city’s auditor and in it the auditor called to the attention items that the mayor and council should address, such as kiting checks, unauthorized transfers, income from use of city provided auto, and meals. (Explained above.)

At the beginning of 2021, the mayor announced it finally had its 2019 audit report. But they refuse to let us see it. Wonder what they are hiding?

Finally, on February 2nd the city presented its audit report and it told the same old story. The city is still lacking in internal controls after all these years. The mayor and council said once again they “are working on a plan” but not that they had implemented a plan. More empty promises.