Auditor Fitzpatrick announces audit of Camden County governmental operations

State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick will work to help Camden County determine if revenue generated by a sales tax that has been in effect since 2008 is being distributed the way voters intended. Fitzpatrick announced today his office has started a performance audit of the county, which was requested by the Camden County Commission, that will also review other aspects of county operations.

"We are ready and willing to pull back the curtain for the people of Camden County to give them an honest assessment of whether their tax dollars are being used appropriately, while also giving them a clear picture of how their county government is operating overall," said Auditor Fitzpatrick. "Ultimately we want to make sure every resident of Camden County can have confidence their government is operating transparently and in accordance with the law. We'll also work to give the county recommendations they can put into place to be more effective for taxpayers."

Because Camden County has its own County Auditor, the county does not receive regularly scheduled audits from the Missouri State Auditor's Office. The office did audit Camden County at the request of the County Commission and released a report in 2019. The county received a "fair" rating in the audit that detailed a lack of oversight and failure to follow policies to ensure efficient use of taxpayer dollars throughout county government. The audit recommended the county improve reimbursement processes and do a better job of following policies related to purchasing. 

Individuals may provide information confidentially for consideration during the audit of Camden 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.