Audit shows funds missing from town

By Sheila Stogsdill

Published: December 8, 2007

FAIRLAND — An audit presented to Fairland's board of trustees Thursday night showed about $14,000 is missing from town accounts.

An investigation was opened by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation on Nov. 13. OSBI spokeswoman Jessica Brown said the investigation could take several weeks.

Town trustees voted to table accepting the audit until they had an opportunity to review it.

However, the audit states that from July 1, 2006, to June 30, "there was a total discrepancy of $2,240 between the docket totals and the deposit slip and bank statements for the receipts of police fines.”

"The testing of meter deposits received and the amounts on the deposit slips and bank statements for the period from July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007, revealed a discrepancy of $5,108.25,” auditor Bill Turner wrote.

The audit went back to the prior fiscal year and discovered "there was a variance of $6,886.25 between meter deposits received and the amounts represented by the bank deposits.”

Turner recommended that "fraud or illegal acts may have been prevented if proper internal controls were in place.”

The docket copy should have been sent to the bookkeeper along with totals of meter deposits collected, the audit states. Deposits should be made daily, and any funds on hand should be kept in a safe or lock box, the audit states.

Fairland has a population of 1,025 and has nine employees. The positions include police chief, assistant police chief, a part-time officer, two part-time cemetery employees, a town secretary, clerk and treasurer, and a parks and streets employee.

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