Three Rivers audit cites areas to improve

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A new state audit suggests that Three Rivers Community College in southeast Missouri could improve its bidding process and tighten financial controls.

State Auditor Susan Montee outlined the audit Monday in a

meeting on the Poplar Bluff campus.

The audit noted the misappropriation of $130,000 sometime before 2007 by a former bookstore manager who was later prosecuted. Most of the money was recovered through fraud insurance.

The audit also pointed out that Three Rivers spent at least $800,000 on legal fees and start-up costs in a dispute with Southeast Missouri State University. The report urged better efforts to resolve disagreements between institutions.

Montee's report also suggests that an athletic Booster Club may not have used about $10,000 properly.

Three Rivers officials say they'll make improvements based on the audit.