Auditor of State Rob Sand released an audit report on Muscatine County, Iowa.
Financial highlights
The county’s revenues totaled $37,890,155 for the year ended June 30, 2020, a 16 percent increase over the prior year. Expenses for county operations for the year ended June 30, 2020 totaled $31,695,878, a 9.6 percent increase over the prior year.
The significant increase in the revenues and expenses is due primarily to increased property tax receipts and costs related to road projects.
Audit findings
Sand reported five findings related to the receipt and expenditure of taxpayer funds, three of which pertain to the county, and two which pertain to the 28E organizations audited with the county. They are found on pages 84 through 88 of the report. The findings address issues such as lack of segregation of duties and non-compliance with the publication requirements of Chapter 28E of the Code of Iowa. Sand provided the county and the 28E organizations with recommendations to address each of these findings.
One finding for the county and for one of the 28E organizations are repeated from the prior year. The County Board of Supervisors, other elected officials and the governing bodies of the 28E organizations have a fiduciary responsibility to provide oversight of the county’s and the 28E Organization’s operations and financial transactions. Oversight is typically defined as the “watchful and responsible care” a governing body exercises in its fiduciary capacity.
A copy of the audit report is available for review on the Auditor of State’s web site at https://auditor.iowa.gov/audit-reports.