Report No. 2008-07
February 2008
Complete Audit Report

Our office conducted an audit of the County Collector of Cole County, Missouri.

State law requires the Missouri State Auditor to audit the office of the County Collector after being notified of a vacancy in that office. William (Skip) Rich served as County Collector until his resignation on October 2, 2007. Larry Vincent was appointed County Collector and sworn into office on October 3, 2007. The County Collector bills and collects property taxes for the county and most local governments.

The County Collector does not prepare monthly listings of liabilities, and as a result, liabilities are not reconciled to the cash balance in the regular tax account. Since there was no reconciliation prepared as of September 30, 2007 (the date of the former County Collector's final settlement), the Collector’s office prepared a listing of liabilities at November 30, 2007. The reconciled bank account balance at November 30, 2007, was $5,808,864, and the Collector's office identified liabilities totaling $5,805,921, resulting in $2,943 which could not be identified to specific liabilities.

Controls over property tax additions and abatements should be improved. No one independent of the tax collection process reconciles the monthly reports of additions and abatements to court orders.

Complete Audit Report
Missouri State Auditor's Office
moaudit@auditor.mo.gov