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Taylor Releases Village of Barnhill Audit

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Tuscarawas County -

State Auditor Mary Taylor released the audit of the Village of Barnhill for 2004 and 2005 today. The audit reveals that village officials were not following state law pertaining to several financial reporting requirements.

“Failure to comply with rules and regulations put in place to protect public funds promotes an environment that increases the potential of fraud or misspending,” Taylor said. “It is imperative that village officials follow the recommendations made in the audit to improve accountability.”

The audit states that the village’s non-compliance issues stem from a high turnover rate as well as the lack of basic accounting knowledge. Auditors found that village officials were initially unable to produce many financial records needed to conduct the audit contributing to the delay in the release of the final report. All of the documents were later provided.

The audit also reveals that the village:

  • Did not file an annual tax budget with the county auditor’s office in 2004 as required by law
  • Did not accurately post money collected and spent to the village’s accounting system
  • Did not file an annual financial report with the State Auditor’s Office for 2004 and 2005

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.

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