Regularly scheduled audit of Reynolds County now underway according to Auditor Fitzpatrick

Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick announced his office will conduct a thorough review of governmental operations in Reynolds County. The regularly scheduled performance audit of the county located in southeast Missouri officially commenced with a meeting with county officials on Monday, February 2.

"It's good to regularly shine the light of transparency on county governments as it gives citizens a better understanding of how their government is operating and how it can improve. It also gives county officials a roadmap for how they can make changes that will lead to a system of government that is more accountable and less vulnerable to waste, fraud, or abuse," said Auditor Fitzpatrick. "We encourage anyone who may have information that is useful to our office while we conduct this audit to contact our Whistleblower Hotline. We appreciate the information we receive and we keep every submission confidential."

The Missouri State Auditor's Office last conducted a performance audit of Reynolds County in 2018. The audit provided the county with a rating of "good" while making recommendations to improve procedures in the Sheriff's office, including  ensuring appropriate oversight of financial transactions. The State Auditor's Office also released a closeout audit of the Reynolds County Collector in 2022. The report found the county collector did not properly review fees withheld on utility and delinquent taxes calculated by the property tax system for accuracy and, as a result, the county collector over withheld some fees.

Individuals may provide information confidentially for consideration during the audit of Reynolds 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.