04/02/2025 - JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.
Much
like the Hubble Space Telescope revolutionized mankind's understanding of the
cosmos, residents of Webster County, located in southwest Missouri and home to
the Hubble Telescope replica, will soon get a clearer picture of the financial
and operational health of their county thanks to a regularly-scheduled audit
announced today by Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick. Audit work
officially began Monday, March 31 when audit staff met with county officials.
"Audits
are essential for the financial and operational health of government,"
said Auditor Fitzpatrick. "Over the coming months, our audit team will
diligently review the inner workings of the county's government to ensure
things are running smoothly."
The last
performance audit of Webster County conducted by the State Auditor's Office was
released in June 2017. The report gave the county a rating
of "good" and found county officials
had made significant improvements to oversight in the county clerk's office,
and corrected issues in numerous other county offices.
Individuals may provide
information confidentially for consideration during the audit of Webster County
to the State Auditor's Whistleblower Hotline at 800-347-8597, by email at moaudit@auditor.mo.gov or by visiting www.auditor.mo.gov/hotline.