Local News
Revenue commission deposit discrepancies revealed in state audit
By Patrick McCreless
staff writer
A recent state audit of the Cullman County Revenue Commission revealed employees routinely received cash directly from customer payments.
“It is a big deal,” said Revenue Commissioner-elect Barry Willingham. “Money collected needs to meet the exact amount collected.”
The audit, which was released in December, covers the revenue commission’s ad valorem tax assessments between Oct. 1, 2005 and Sept. 30, 2007, its ad valorem tax collections between June 15, 2006 and June 12, 2008 as well as its motor vehicle ad valorem tax assessments and collections, motor vehicle licenses, manufactured home registrations and other collections between June 1, 2006 and May 31, 2008.
The audit stated revenue commission deposits were not made intact as they were received by customers, adding that employees were allowed to receive cash on checks and debit cards from cash collections.
“If you take in $10,000 in cash and you want to write a $50 check that you will pay back later ... it may seem okay, but from an audit standpoint, it’s not,” Willingham said. “There needs to be checks and balances all the way to the bank. You need to be able to follow it (money) step by step. You should not have a penny less or a penny more.”
In addition, the audit stated checks were cashed for employees and other individuals from the clerk’s cash drawers.
Willingham said this is not the first time an audit has pointed out the revenue commission’s deposit discrepancies.
“This has been an ongoing issue for some time,” he said. “I’ve seen it in previous audits.”
Repeated calls to Revenue Commissioner Kay D. Williams-Smith for this article were not returned.
Willingham defeated Williams-Smith last year with 56 percent of the vote. However, under state law he is not allowed to take office until October 2009.
Willingham said the deposit discrepancies would be one of several changes he plans to make when he takes over.
“That’s not going to happen at all,” Willingham said. “And if an employee of mine needs to cash a check, they can get a 10 minute break and run to the bank.”
For a complete copy of the audit, visit www.examiners.state.al.us.
‰ Patrick McCreless can be reached by e-mail at patrickm@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.
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