Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway has issued a follow-up report on the city of Sparta’s operations.
According to Galloway’s office, the initial audit, released in September 2016, “raised serious concerns related to the city's finances and management policies.” Auditors returned for a follow-up review this year.
She said the new report shows improvement, but more work needs to be done to make sure public dollars are properly managed and accounted for.
The report found that Sparta officials have improved monitoring for the city’s budget and reduced the number of bank accounts the city maintains. And they’ve adopted practices that allow for better oversight of accounting work by city personnel.
But it found the city has not taken corrective action to require bidding on certain purchases, including professional services.
Auditors identified 21 areas of concern to evaluate during the follow-up review. Nine recommendations were completed. Progress has been made or recommendations were partially implemented for nine other recommendations. Recommendations for three findings had not been addressed, and no specific plans had been made to act on those recommendations, according to the auditor's office.
