State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick begins regularly scheduled audit of Knox County

Just as Henry Knox helped fortify Boston's defenses and drive the British out during the Revolutionary War, State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick wants to make sure taxpayers of Knox County have adequate defenses in place to prevent government waste, fraud, and abuse. Fitzpatrick announced today that his office has started a regularly scheduled audit of the northeast Missouri county, which started with an entrance meeting with county officials on Friday, May 23.

"If Henry Knox can help protect the people of Boston by using horse-drawn and ox-drawn sleds to move 60 tons of cannons and armaments over 300 miles of ice-covered rivers and snow-capped mountains then we can certainly use our resources and expertise to give the taxpayers of Knox County a better understanding of how their county government is operating and a roadmap to help county officials make more efficient use of taxpayer dollars," said Auditor Fitzpatrick.

The Missouri State Auditor's Office last conducted a performance audit of Knox County in 2017. The audit provided the county with a rating of "fair" as it raised concerns with oversight and accounting procedures throughout the county while also making recommendations to increase accountability. The State Auditor's Office also released an audit of the Knox County Sheriff's Office in 2019, which gave the office a rating of "good" after the resignation of the former sheriff.

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