Prior to April 2007, minutes of board meetings were not always prepared. Current and any previous minutes did not always contain sufficient detail of matters discussed and actions taken. The village does not post notices of meetings or tentative meeting agendas as required by state law. In addition, village ordinances are not complete and up-to-date and ordinances have not been adopted to set the compensation of village officials.
The village does not publish or post semi-annual financial statements nor prepare annual budgets as required by state law. The village has not submitted annual financial reports to the State Auditor's Office since 1998 as required by state law. Also, the village deposits all state motor vehicle-related revenues into its checking account and does not separately account for these revenues as required by the Missouri Constitution.
The village does not have formal bidding or purchasing policies. Prior to April 2007, there was no documentation that the Board of Trustees reviewed or approved the payment of village expenditures prior to the disbursements being made. In addition, the village made several disbursements that were not adequately documented, or which do not appear to be a necessary or prudent use of village funds, including a check for $200 made out to cash, three checks to restaurants and a convenience store, and $400 to the village Booster Club to purchase a stove for the village Community Center.
The village does not prepare a ledger of receipts and disbursements and does not prepare bank reconciliations. There is no check register or other listing of receipts, disbursements, or cash balances. The village has accumulated a combined balance of $41,335 in its checking account and certificates of deposit, while total disbursements for 2006 were only $5,832. The board should review the overall financial condition and set the village tax rate to provide sufficient operating funds yet not create an excessive fund balance.
The village collector prepares individual property tax bills and marks these bills as paid when payment is received. However, a listing of taxes received is not prepared, making it difficult to trace specific payments to bank deposits. The village collector does not always deposit property taxes on a timely basis. The village collector does not prepare listings of uncollected delinquent taxes or ensure all tax book charges agree to total collections plus amounts remaining delinquent, and does not turn over the collection of delinquent taxes to the county collector as required by state law.
Complete Audit Report |
