Municipal court undergoing state audit

The Jefferson City municipal court is undergoing a state audit, something both the auditors and court personnel say simply is standard procedure.

On Tuesday, the state auditor's office announced an audit of the Jefferson City municipal court had begun. Spence Jackson, media director for the state auditor's office, said the process is anticipated to take seven or eight months and is far from unusual. Jackson said no one requested the audit, but that it was time to look over the court again.

The last audit of the municipal court was done in 1996.

Jackson said the process looks at all of the court's revenue streams and its staffing levels and ensures all relevant state laws are being followed. Auditors will be present during municipal court proceedings to see how things move and speak to staff, he said.

"It's a very thorough and very complete process," Jackson said.

At the end of the audit, Jackson said, they will make recommendations and meet with court officials to discuss those recommendations. After the officials are given a chance to respond to the audit's findings, Jackson said it will be made public. The auditor's office also will issue a grade to the court, he said.

Judge Cotton Walker said the auditors told him the timing had nothing to do with the city's recent $1.68 million budget shortfall, which he noted had nothing to do with the municipal court to begin with.

"They just do routine audits of all the municipal courts, and our number came up," Walker said.