Callaway County hopes to tighten oversight

Callaway County officials are looking to improve oversight after the revelation this week that a former collector stole nearly $300,000 from taxpayers.

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway recommended the Callaway County Collector’s Office improve its checks and balances and segregate duties after the theft by former collector Pamela Oestreich.

“The former collector had too much responsibility over all aspects of her office without appropriate oversight from other officials or other employees,” Galloway said during a news conference Monday.

Oestreich resigned in March and Tim Wilkerson was appointed to fill her position in April. Galloway’s audit began after Oestreich’s resignation. Wilkerson will work as collector for the rest of the term, which ends in March 2019.

Wilkerson said the county is focusing on becoming more transparent and enforcing checks and balances.

“If I’m preparing a report, then the chief deputy will review that report or vice-versa. We’re just gonna have again another set of eyes reviewing the report,” he said.

He said the county is working to get new software for next year which will help in its auditing process.

Galloway gave specific recommendations to the Callaway County Collector’s Office that include investigating any differences on bank reconciliations or liabilities.

“The county must change its practices to detect fraud and misuse of funds in the future,” Galloway said.

Galloway noted 130 deposits that were made with cash shortages by the former collector between the beginning of 2016 and March 2018. In her report, Galloway noted that a tax bill of $74,000 was deleted as a way for Oestreich to conceal theft and went undetected. Unrecorded property tax collections caused more than $217,000 to not be distributed to taxing districts in the county, Galloway found.

Oestreich pleaded guilty in federal court and faces up to four years in prison.