Auditor rates Perry Co. 'good' overall

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway released an audit of Perry County on Wednesday.

The regularly scheduled audit received an overall rating of good; a previous audit of the county conducted in 2014 received a rating of fair, according to a news release.

"This independent review found Perry County officials are working to manage government effectively and efficiently," Galloway said in the release. "There are still processes that can be improved, including recommendations in the report to increase financial oversight, correct errors and improve the security of data."

The audit found the county clerk was not properly calculating the property tax reduction to the property tax levy, resulting in a reduction greater than required by law.

Auditors recommended increased oversight of property tax additions and abatements; increased password protection in the offices of the County Collector, Sheriff, Prosecuting Attorney, and Public Administrator. Improved cybersecurity measures can reduce the risk of unauthorized access to computers and data, the release stated.

A full copy of the report is at auditor.mo.gov.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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