State Auditor’s Office expected to discuss audit of Callaway County collector at commission meeting

UPDATE 3 p.m.: Gary Jungermann told ABC 17 News they plan to have more answers in the upcoming weeks.

“In the next few weeks we’re going to have all the answers, so that we know if something happened, how bad it was. Right now we’re just running a lot of stress and most of us are wondering … you know, never had a thought that we’d be dealing with anything like this,” Jungermann said.

Jungermann said schools will currently have to rely on the funds they have received at the beginning of the year because no money is coming in or going out.

Superintendent Bryan Thomsen with North Callaway R-1 said they are fine and will be working with the collectors office throughout the entire process.

UPDATE 10 a.m.: The Callaway County Commission ended their closed session with the Missouri State Auditor’s Office around 9:30 a.m. Monday.

Gary Jungermann, presiding commissioner, said the members of the auditor’s office will start a preliminary investigation Monday, and will be at the Callaway County Collector’s Office for a few days before they return to the auditor’s office.

Jungermann said the auditor’s office will come back in mid-April for another few weeks to complete its investigation.

In the meantime, the collector’s office will remain closed until either the audit is complete or the governor appoints a new Callaway County collector, Jungermann said.

Because the office is closed, money can’t be received or dispersed, leaving taxing entities, such as school districts, in limbo.

Jungermann said if taxpayers need to send money to the collector’s office, they will need to send it to the Audrain or Cole county offices. He said the commission is working on a plan to create a separate bank account for whatever money is received, so it doesn’t get mixed up with what the auditor’s office is looking into.

ORIGINAL: Members of the Missouri State Auditor’s Office are expected to be at the Callaway County Commission meeting Monday morning, according to the commission’s agenda.

Steph Deidrick, press secretary for the state auditor’s office, said their presence is related to an audit of the Callaway County Collector’s Office.

The meeting comes after Callaway County Collector Pam Oestreich resigned on March 15 because of her involvement in suspicious activity on a Callaway County checking account she maintained.

The Callaway County prosecutor and sheriff’s department said they contacted the FBI after they found out about the suspicious activity from Central Bank officials.

The meeting starts at 8:15 a.m. and according to the agenda, it may be closed.