audit

State Audit Released On Mo. Public Defenders

Maria Altman — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:34:43 +0000

The Missouri state auditor released a report Wednesday on the state’s Public Defender system.

Among the findings: public defenders need to better track the hours they spend on each case and update the standards they use to determine what’s the appropriate caseload.

Auditor Tom Schweich says Public Defenders have relied on national standards that are out-of-date.

Audit Recommends Changes To St. Louis County Accounting Methods

Tim Lloyd — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 03:06:10 +0000

St. Louis County has new accountants auditing its financial records and they want changes to how officials track extra cash left in bank accounts at the end of the fiscal year.

The county’s Chief Operating Officer Garry Earls says in the past they would consider the leftover money as revenue, but the audit recommends it now be accounted for as an asset.

“There’s a reason accountants have the reputation that they do,” Earls says. “This is a perfectionism of the system, and I’d tell you outright that it is an asset of the county so we might as well count it as an asset.”

Missouri state auditor accuses Gov. Nixon of hiding expenses

Adam Allington — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 21:42:43 +0000

Updated 4:37 p.m. with additional reporting.

Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich released an audit of Governor Jay Nixon on Wednesday accusing Nixon of overspending his appropriation by $1.7 million and thumbing his nose at the budget appropriation process.

Agency overseeing Missouri's state parks gets low marks

Rachel Lippmann — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:46:06 +0000

State Auditor Tom Schweich has given the agency that oversees Missouri's state parks low marks for its documentation and oversight procedures.

The Division of State Parks, within the Department of Natural Resources, oversees the state's 85 parks and historical sites. The sites bring in about $9 million annually, with about $1.7 million coming from 16 companies that provide food, lodging and other concessions at some of the parks. The division also administers the state parks sales tax, which totals about $38 million a year.

Audit finds rates in six St. Louis-area taxing districts are too high

Rachel Lippmann — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:41:59 +0000

A statewide review of tax rates issued today by Missouri auditor Tom Schweich finds that residents in six St. Louis-area districts are paying too much in property taxes.