Audit of Benton County, Missouri now underway

JEFFERSON CITY, MO (Mar. 18, 2024) — A regularly scheduled audit of Benton County, located in west central Missouri, is now underway according to State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick. The audit officially commenced with an entrance meeting with county officials on Monday, March 18.

The State Auditor’s Office last audited Benton County in 2016.

The previous audit issued the county an overall performance rating of “fair” and identified issues related to accounting duties in the offices of both the prosecuting attorney and the sheriff. The report also made recommendations to increase oversight and review procedures for staff in the prosecuting attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office who work with accounting records or accept payments.

The State Auditor’s Office also released an audit of the Benton County Public Administrator’s Office in 2017. The report gave the office a rating of poor and raised concerns surrounding questionable transactions, including several thousand dollars paid to the public administrator’s family members and a related party from the accounts of wards in her care. A follow-up report issued later that year found many of the recommendations from the original audit had been implemented.

Individuals may provide confidential information for consideration during the audit of Benton 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.