State Auditor gives Miller County “fair” rating in annual audit
Miller County received an overall rating of “fair” after the State Auditor’s Office released its annual report on Tuesday morning.
According to Auditor Nicole Galloway, the county struggled to avoid a deficit in its jail and 911 funds.
Galloway also recommended Miller County improve tracking the use of capital improvement sales tax money transferred to those funds.
“The county continues to struggle to fund 911 communications and the jail, both critical functions of county government,” said Galloway.
The State Auditor’s Office released both the 911 emergency fund and jail fund had balance of $1 at the end of 2017. Miller County leaders transferred more than $1 million from the capital improvement fund to the 911 and jail funds.
“More work needs to be done to ensure these programs are managed as efficiently as possible. When the county must transfer funds to support these essential services, that action must be done in a way that taxpayers know their dollars are spent in accordance with the law,” said Galloway.
Galloway’s audit also suggested the county increase financial oversight of the Miller County Collector’s Office.
The report reveals the collector has not filed annual settlements for the last four fiscal years, which is required by state law. The Collector’s Office also didn’t prepare bank reconciliations during the audit.
Galloway recommended the county collector work with the county commission to limit access to the property tax system to lower the risk of information getting changed or deleted.
You can read about other recommendations for Miller County by clicking on this link.
