State Auditor Releases Report On Findings Of Mills County Audit

Last week, the Iowa State Auditor’s Office released the findings of its audit on Mills County for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024.

In the 94-page report, Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand said the county’s revenues totaled over $25.5 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, a 7.9% increase over the prior year, while expenses totaled over $19.9 million - a 7.7% increase from the previous fiscal year. Sand says the significant increase in revenues is primarily due to increased property tax revenues and contributions from the Iowa Department of Transportation, while the increase in expenses is mainly due to the installation of fiber optic cable.

Sand’s report also identified 10 findings related to the receipt and expenditure of taxpayer funds, including a lack of segregation of duties, adjustments needed to properly record receivables in the county’s financial statements, lack of current and delinquent property tax reconciliations, related party business transactions in which the county did not seek a bid, and non-compliance with Chapter 403 of Iowa Code pertaining to the proper use of tax increment financing revenues.

The state auditor’s office said it has provided Mills County with recommendations to address each of these findings. Nine of the findings discussed in the report were repeated from the prior year.

“The county board of supervisors and other county officials have a fiduciary responsibility to provide oversight of the county’s operations and financial transactions,” Sand said.  “Oversight is typically defined as the ‘watchful and responsible care’ a governing body exercises in its fiduciary capacity.”

A copy of the audit report is available for review on the Auditor of State’s website at Audit Reports – Auditor of State.