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Taylor Releases Van Wert County Audit

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Van Wert County -

Auditor of State Mary Taylor released the annual audit of Van Wert County for fiscal year 2006 today. The audit reveals several instances of accounting irregularities in the management of federal grant money.

“It is critical that public entities properly and accurately document each and every dollar collected and spent,” Taylor said. “The failure to do so increases the potential of fraud and misspending.”

The audit indicates that money for various federal grants was commingled, improperly recorded in the county’s accounting system or not documented. The grants help subsidize certain community development and low income assistance programs.

The findings outlined in the audit report could possibly affect future federal funding in Van Wert County. Issues include:

  • Incomplete status reports periodically tracking and documenting how grant money is spent
  • Money for multiple grant funds commingled with other funds
  • Missing or incomplete financial reports, including ledgers and cash journals, detailing how much grant money is received and how much is spent

The Ohio Auditor of State’s Office is one of the largest accounting offices in the nation.  The office strives to ensure that all public funds are spent legally and appropriately and works aggressively to root out fraud, waste and abuse in public spending. Taylor encourages anyone suspecting fraud or misspending of public dollars to contact her office toll free at 1-866-FRAUD-OH (1-866-372-8364).

A full copy of the audit is available online at www.auditor.state.oh.us.