State auditor finds “deficiencies” in county books

The Washington State Auditor’s Office recently completed an audit of Whitman County, finding significant inadequacies and deficiencies in the county’s financial practices.

The report details financial reporting by the county from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 31, 2014, and states “our audit identified deficiencies in internal controls that adversely affected the County’s ability to produce reliable financial statements.”

The report specifies that the County Treasurer’s Office “lacks a monthly bank reconciliation process that ensures all accounts held by the County are reconciled to the underlying...