An internal audit of the Ada County Treasurer’s office concentrating on the “Public Administrator†duties has turned up assorted critical issues. The issues all revolve around the estates of people who have died with no will and no living relatives.
A former Public Administrator and a state building security chief have been charged with assorted felonies over theft including a $31,000 check which was misappropriated. The internal audit obtained Tuesday by the GUARDIAN was performed in addition to the forensic audit.
We poked fun at the Ada Treasurer website where they sold personal items, including bras. Readers noted the web auction site probably cost more than it brought in. The auditors not only agreed with the GUARDIAN readers, they revealed that 25% of the sales were to Treasurer employees and 46% of the sales were to other county employees.
There was even an example of an employee putting a sticky note on a box of ammo to “reserve†it. Treasurer Vicky McIntyre told the GUARDIAN that all guns and ammo were sold to a registered firearms dealer, hence the note. She added, “They want the public to believe what they want to fabricate.â€
Here’s an excerpt from the report: “Within the Treasurer’s Office, one of the seven Treasurer’s Office employees who purchased estate property consistently paid less than the minimum bid. This employee purchased four items for a total of $15 less than minimum bid. The same employee purchased a large display case of hunting knives that had been listed on e-Bay for $75, but was sold to the employee for $35.â€
Much of the auditor’s committee report duplicated what the forensic auditor report noted previously.
The committee of five, a mix of county elected officials and department heads, noted the work load for the public administrator role had nearly doubled in the past few years and recommended that accounting practices and personnel assignments be initiated to create fiscal safeguards to prevent future problems.
The entire REPORT: Combined final report PDF (2)