Last week, the Iowa State Auditor, Mary Mosiman, announced that city officials across the state are being urged to watch a video that outlines their responsibilities in the handling of tax dollars. Mosiman says the video outlines strategies for making sure that there are several different people with eyes on these dollars as they travel through the system. Carroll City Manager, Mike Pogge-Weaver, says that in the past, smaller communities were not subject to annual audits from independent auditors like Carroll has been. The law changed a couple of years ago for them to undergo a desk review about every eight years. This is why he believes many issues and concerns are coming to light and making news now. The process for Carroll, however, has been different for quite some time.
Mosiman says that when proper procedures and oversight protocols are put into place, the opportunities for fraud are greatly reduced. Pogge-Weaver adds that they have a system of checks and balances already in place.
Even when they get down to mailing out checks, there is another individual that is matching that check to the invoice before it is sent. The auditor’s office has said after this joint venture with the Iowa League of Cities, they will next be working to develop instructional videos for school districts, counties and townships.
