Earle receives clean audit

Earle receives clean audit

Minor violations ‘ have been corrected already’

news@theeveningtimes.com

Earle received a clean audit report from the state with only a few minor write-ups.

There were no write-ups for the mayor’s office, but the police department, court clerk, and city clerk’s office did have a few comments from the auditors.

Auditors commented that not all of the citation books had been filed with the court clerk and weren’t available for inspection.

City Clerk Cynthia Conner told the council that there was no police chief at the time, but added that Mayor Carolyn Jones responded to the auditors that she would make sure that the citation books are properly filed in the future.

“When the officers were checking their citation books out, they were not turning them back in,” Conner said. “So all of the books were not made available for the auditor to see.

So that was the only finding — which was good.”

As far as her office, Conner said their biggest finding was that the 1096 forms were not available and they could not verify total pension payments. “I told them that I would make sure that I keep a copy of the 1096 and that I made an honest mistake,” Conner said. “I did keep a copy of the 1096 form and am trying to retrieve it.”

Auditors also commented that the cash receipts journal was not properly posted.

The court clerk was faulted for having inadequate data access restrictions in place; no remote access security policy; no wireless security use policy to protect against unnecessary exposure of information; failure to issue a warrant for an outstanding time pay case; and that the bond fine account was not properly reconciled.

Conner said overall, it was a very good audit.

“None of those were large infractions,” Conner said.

“And they have been corrected already.”

Councilwoman Jimmie Barham pointed out that the employees in the police department and court clerk’s office who were written up are no longer with the city and that auditors usually find little things wrong.

“Every mayor has always said they are going to find something there,” Barham said. “They go over you with a fine tooth comb.”

By Mark Randall