07/29/2024 - Jefferson City, MO
The possibility of
misused city funds that led to the termination of the former police chief has
prompted Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick to begin an audit of the City
of Merriam Woods, located in Taney County. The audit was petitioned by city
officials, who adopted an ordinance requesting the review after the city
discovered "discrepancies and misappropriation" with their bank
accounts and credit cards.
"Thankfully city
officials were able to discover the potential fraud and act quickly to prevent
additional taxpayer dollars from being misused. Now we will do our best to
provide a complete picture to the city and the residents of Merriam Woods about
what happened so they have the answers they deserve, and so they will have a roadmap
for how to prevent something similar from happening in the future," said
Auditor Fitzpatrick.
The problems in Merriam
Woods were first brought to the attention of the State Auditor's Office with a
Whistleblower Hotline complaint. An investigation of the complaint found the
city's concerns to be credible, and recommended an audit of the city. City
officials then adopted a resolution inviting the Auditor's Office to conduct
the audit. Members of the State Auditor's Office officially began the audit on
July 23 with an entrance meeting with city officials.
Individuals may provide confidential information for consideration
during the audit of the City of Merriam Woods 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.
