Columbus CFO describes state of 2021 audit
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – “Not good” and “not acceptable” are how Columbus Chief Financial Officer Jim Brigham describes the state of internal controls reflected in the city’s audit for Fiscal Year 2021.
But he also says most of the issues brought up as a result of that audit have been or are being dealt with.
Wanda Holley from Watkins, Ward, and Stafford presented the findings of the 2021 Audit to the Columbus City Council at last night’s meeting.
The audit has been plagued by delays, including trying to track down records and figuring out how funds were moved around.
There were a total of 12 findings in the audit. Three were related to State Laws and Regulations, and nine were related to Internal Control Issues.
Among the Internal Control Issues was Control over Bank Transfers which was put into place after it was discovered former CFO Milton Rawle was embezzling from the city. It was found that for a time after the controls were put into place, they were not being followed.
It was also found that Municipal Court Collections were not being shared with the Department of Public Safety and the State of Mississippi as required by the state.
Brigham says those are now being done monthly.
He says this audit is a picture of how business was being conducted. It also spotlights the importance of having audits.
