Salt Lake County audit finds gaps in oversight, potential violations of purchasing policy
Nov 16, 2024, 5:51 PM
The Salt Lake County auditor is recommending the county government strengthen oversight and policies after a report found noncompliance. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake County auditor is recommending the county government strengthen oversight and update policies after a report found several instances of noncompliance when purchasing gift cards and using proprietary credit cards.
The report, released Thursday by Auditor Chris Harding, follows the examination of procurement through the county’s proprietary cards and Amazon Business account for all of 2023, and revealed “significant deficiencies across key areas, including oversight and adherence to policies,” the report states. Harding issued 29 recommendations to close the gaps in oversight, which agency leaders have agreed to implement.
“These findings underscore the need for stronger checks and balances within county agencies to safeguard public resources,” Harding said. “By implementing the recommended changes, we can improve transparency, reduce risks, and enhance accountability across county operations.”
Auditors will follow up with the various recommendations after six months, according to Chief Deputy Auditor Richard Jaussi.
“This was a countywide audit, so it might take us a little while to do our follow-up,” he said. “If everything has been implemented, we’re done. If not, we’ll look at it in an additional six months.”
“While we found no evidence of misuse of funds,” the report states, “we determined that internal controls such as management oversight, documented policies and procedures, ongoing training, and monitoring were not always adequate to prevent or detect misuse.”
Lack of oversight of card use
One of the key findings from Harding’s report was that the county Contracts and Procurement was unaware that two agencies were using proprietary store cards from Sam’s Club and Kroger/Smith’s Grocery to make purchases. Criminal Justice Services and Youth Services used three such cards nearly 40 times in 2023, spending a total of $4,535, according to the report.
“Contracts and Procurement was not aware of the proprietary cards and therefore was not overseeing their use,” the audit states.
The audit found no instances of fraudulent purchases but said the lack of oversight could increase the risk of fraud, waste and abuse of taxpayer funds.
Read the full story at ksl.com.
