Greene County Commission votes to allow audit by state

Greene County Commissioners voted unanimously during their meeting on Wed., Jan. 2, to allow the State of Missouri to request that Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway conduct an audit of the county’s books. The audit will reportedly focus on whistleblower complaints regarding an alleged attempt by the county to pass a sales tax increase during the November 2017 election.
Newly installed Greene County Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon said the commissioners chose to permit the audit to allow the county to move forward.
“At this time the scope and depth of the audit are yet to be determined, but the commission’s unanimous decision gives the State Auditor’s office the freedom to do whatever they believe is necessary,” he said. “This action allows us to turn the page and look to the future.”
The audit is most likely going to take place sometime after May of this year. Dixon said the commissioners requested that the audit not interfere with another scheduled audit, as well as that Galloway use her own Springfield office for the audit.
“I have tremendous confidence in our county staff and in our elected office holders,” Dixon said. “The two parameters the commission added were timing—so that it didn’t interfere with our regularly scheduled yearly audit with KPM CPAs and Advisors, which usually wraps up in May—and that the auditor use their facilities on Park Central Square for audit staff space, as the county is limited on space.”
Former Presiding Commissioner Bob Cirtin and Commissioner Harold Bengsch, who is still on the commission, voted down an attempt to allow the state to perform an audit last year, instead preferring to have the Missouri Ethics Commission and Graves Garrett, a Kansas City law firm, investigate allegations that the county misused resources.
Galloway had not responded to a media request by the Greene County Commonwealth for comment as of press time. However, in a quote first reported by the News-Leader, and then reposted on the State Auditor’s Facebook page, she praised the commissioners for voting to permit the audit.
“I commend the current Greene County Commission for their action today and am committed to conducting a thorough, independent review of county government,” she wrote. “As I said more than a year ago, the best way to ensure taxpayers get the answers they deserve is through an independent audit that will provide a full accounting of the use of public dollars in Greene County.”