Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to examine the former Clerk’s records and financial practices for the period January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2013.

Background

The Town of Alexandria is located in Jefferson County. The Town, which has approximately 4,100 residents, is governed by a five-member Town Board. Budgeted appropriations for the 2014 fiscal year totaled approximately $3.7 million.

Key Findings

• The former Clerk received at least $36,742 from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2013 that was not deposited into a Town bank account and could not be accounted for.
• The former Clerk did not properly record all cash receipts and did not deposit all moneys received intact and in a timely manner.
• The Board did not provide adequate oversight, including adopting written policies or procedures for the handling of cash receipts and performing an audit of the financial records of the Clerk and other departments.

Key Recommendations

• Take appropriate action to recover any moneys due the Town.
• Ensure that the Clerk deposits all cash receipts intact and in a timely manner.
• Adopt written policies and procedures establishing the responsibilities and duties of Town employees and officials for collecting, recording and depositing of cash receipts and annually audit, or obtain an annual audit of, the financial records and reports of all Town officers and employees who receive or disburse moneys on behalf of the Town.