Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway's office gave Moniteau County a "good" rating after an audit of the county's government, although the audit found what the auditor's office described as "inadequate capital assets records" that had been reported in four previous audits.
"An audit should serve as a tool for the county to improve operations and procedures to better serve citizens and protect taxpayer dollars," Galloway said in a news release. "My team has conducted an independent review and once again identified practices that should be implemented to safeguard public resources. It is disappointing when recommendations are continually disregarded."
The county does not have adequate processes in place to track and account for capital assets such as buildings, equipment and vehicles, according to Galloway's audit. Concerns listed include incomplete or outdated county records of these items. This was the fifth time this concern has been identified in an audit.
Galloway's auditors also identified weaknesses in electronic data security across multiple county offices, including inadequate password requirements and a lack of security controls to lock computers after a specific amount of time or a number of incorrect log-on attempts, according to the news release.
Despite these issues, Galloway noted Moniteau County's government was overall well managed and the county has indicated most or all recommendations have already been or will be implemented.
In the audit report's findings, county officials told auditors: "We will work with county officials to require passwords be changed monthly and request security controls be put in place to lock the computers after a designated number of incorrect log-on attempts and period of inactivity. We will also continue to monitor capital assets and work with elected officials to obtain physical inventories in accordance with state statutes."