THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY. I’M CODY HOLYOKE. MONEY IS ALREADY TIGHT ACROSS THE BOARD FOR SO MANY FAMILIES. SO WHEN THE GOVERNMENT TAKES SOME OF IT FOR TAXES, YOU WANT LEADERS TO BE DARN SURE THEY’RE SPENDING IMPROPER ON SCHOOLS, ON ROADS, ON LAW ENFORCEMENT. WELL, THAT WASN’T HAPPENING IN RAY COUNTY, MISSOURI. ACCORDING TO A STATE AUDIT RELEASED THIS PAST WEEK. AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE FOUND ABOUT $3,000 MISSING FROM CONCEALED CARRY WEAPON PERMIT AND SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY FEES, ALONG WITH MORE THAN $5,500 TAKEN FROM THE COMMISSARY FUNDS OF JAIL INMATES SPENT ON THINGS LIKE CIGARETS BEER, 15 TVS THAT ALSO INCLUDES MORE THAN $1,700 SPENT ON 76 HAMS AS THE OFFICE MADE THE PURCHASES FROM 2018 THROUGH 2020, WHEN GARY BUSH WAS SHERIFF, HE DIDN’T RESPOND TO OUR REQUEST FOR COMMENT. HIS SUCCESSOR DID, THOUGH, SAYING WHEN HE TOOK OFFICE IN JANUARY 2021, HE ALSO FOUND SHREDDED DOCUMENTS ALONG WITH MISSING EMPLOYEE RECORDS AND COMPUTER HARD DRIVES. IT’S NOT GOOD FOR THE PEOPLE AND OBVIOUSLY IT SHOWS THAT THE LACK OF CARE THAT THAT ADMINISTRATION HAD FOR THE CITIZENS OF THE COUNTY. AND THAT’S WHY THERE ARE STATE LAWS AGAINST IT. BUT YET THOSE STATE LAWS WEREN’T ENFORCED HERE. AND I DON’T KNOW WHY SHERIFF SCOTT CHILDERS CALLS WHAT THE PAST ADMINISTRATION DID CRIMINAL IN HIS OPINION, AND SAID HE’S COOPERATING WITH THE STATE AUDITOR’S OFFICE, WHICH GAVE THE COUNTY THE WORST POSSIBLE RATING OF POOR, FOR THAT IS JUST ONE AUDIT THAT WE’RE WATCHING. THE OTHER AFFECTS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI. WE’VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT IT. STATE AUDITOR IS NOW LOOKING INTO THE SKY HIGH PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS. TAXPAYERS RECEIVE THIS YEAR. THEY ROSE 30% ON AVERAGE, THOUGH MANY PEOPLE SAW SPIKES WAY HIGHER, LEAVING SOME HOMEOWNERS WORRIED THEY’D HAVE TO SELL THEIR HOMES. JACKSON COUNTY LEGISLATURE PAVED THE WAY FOR A FULL REVIEW FROM THE STATE, WHICH INCLUDES A LOOK AT HOW THE COUNTY GOT ITS NUMBERS, THE COMPANY IT USED AND ISSUES WITH THE APPEALS PROCESS. SCOTT FITZPATRICK IS MISSOURI’S STATE AUDITOR IN CHARGE OF BOTH OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS, AND HE JOINS US NOW HERE ON HEART OF THE MATTER. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. FIRST OFF, LET’S START IN RAY COUNTY. I KNOW THIS IS YOUR WHEELHOUSE, THESE AUDITS, BUT WERE THESE RESULTS SURPRISING TO YOU? THE COUNTIES ARE AUDITED MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY THAN MOST OTHER GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES AND SO FOR KIND OF GET TO GET A POOR RATING IS IS UNUSUAL. YOU KNOW, LAST TIME THE COUNTY WAS AUDITED, YOUR OFFICE UNDER THE LAST AUDITOR GAVE THE COUNTY A FAIR RATING. AS YOU SAID, LISTED AS POOR. HELP US UNDERSTAND THE REAL WORLD IMPLICATIONS OF A DOWNGRADE. WHAT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DO THAT? WELL, THE RATING SYSTEM WAS ACTUALLY DEVELOPED TO HELP THE GENERAL PUBLIC UNDERSTAND WHAT THE AUDIT FOUND. AND THERE’S FOUR THERE ARE FOUR POSSIBLE RATINGS. EXCELLENT. GOOD, FAIR AND POOR. POOR BEING THE WORST. OBVIOUSLY. AND IT REALLY JUST DEPENDS ON THE NUMBER OF FINDINGS THAT COME AS A RESULT OF THE AUDIT. THE TYPE OF FINDINGS WHICH IN THIS CASE IN RAY COUNTY WAS MONEY THAT WAS MISSING, THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS THAT WENT MISSING FROM THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE THAT DIDN’T MAKE ITS WAY INTO THE COUNTY TREASURER’S OFFICE AND INTO THE BANK, AS WELL AS FUNDS THAT WERE SPENT IN WAYS THAT WERE VERY INAPPROPRIATE FOR OUR TAXPAYER MONEY TO BE USED. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT REALLY IS THE CRUX OF THE ISSUE. AND BECAUSE OF I MEAN, I WOULD SAY THAT THE COUNTY GOT THE COUNTY AUDIT RESULTED IN A POOR RATING LARGELY BECAUSE OF THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE. COULD ANYONE GET IN TROUBLE BECAUSE OF THIS? WELL, THAT’S YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE DECISIONS FOR THE PROSECUTORS TO MAKE. I MEAN, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY INVOLVED HERE IS NOT I MEAN, WE SEE, YOU KNOW, CASES OF FRAUD THAT INVOLVE A LOT MORE MONEY THAN WHAT WE’RE DEALING WITH HERE. I WOULD SAY THAT FOR OUR PART, WE WE HAVE NOT TREATED IT AS A PUBLIC CORRUPTION OR FRAUD TYPE AUDIT. IT JUST TO US LOOKS LIKE SEVERE MISMANAGEMENT. AND THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE, PRIMARILY UNDER THE PRIOR ADMINISTRATION. AND, YOU KNOW, WE’RE BRINGING THAT TO LIGHT FOR THE TAXPAYERS AND THE COUNTY AND FOR THE NEW SHERIFF. SO AS HE MOVES FORWARD AND AS THE COUNTY MOVES FORWARD, THEY ARE ABLE TO AVOID THE PITFALLS THAT WERE EXPERIENCED BY THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION. ALL RIGHT. LET’S GO TO JACKSON COUNTY NOW, BECAUSE FOR WEEKS, IF NOT MONTHS, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CALLING FOR YOU TO LOOK INTO THIS CONTROVERSY ABOUT PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS. THIS YEAR, AS WE SAID, THE LEGISLATURE HAS NOW PAVED THE WAY FOR THAT. YOU’RE IN THE MIDST OF THE AUDIT. WHAT CAN YOU SHARE? WHAT WILL YOU BE LOOKING FOR? WELL, WE’RE GOING TO DO A TOP TO BOTTOM REVIEW OF THE ASSESSOR’S OFFICE AND THE ASSESSOR, THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS THAT WAS USED FOR THE MOST RECENT ASSESSMENT THAT RESULTED IN THESE SKYROCKETING VALUES OF ASSESSED VALUES OF THE PROPERTY IN JACKSON COUNTY. OBVIOUSLY, THE MORE THAN 50,000 APPEALS HAVE HAVE BEEN FILED ON PEOPLE’S ASSESSMENTS. AND ONE OF THE BIG ONE OF THE BIG ISSUES THAT HAS BEEN WELL REPORTED ON IN THE MEDIA THAT WE ARE ALSO GOING TO BE LOOKING AT IS THE THE PHYSICAL INSPECTIONS THAT THAT, IN OUR VIEW, ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE PLACE OF HOMES IF IF THEY OR IF THE PROPERTY IS GOING TO RECEIVE AN INCREASE OF GREATER THAN 15% IN THE ASSESSED VALUATION. SO THAT’S ONE OF THE FIRST ORDERS OF BUSINESS FOR US. SO WE’RE GOING TO LOOK AT TYLER TECHNOLOGIES AND THEIR ROLE IN THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS. WHAT WHAT ROLE THEIR EMPLOYEES MAY HAVE PLAYED IN THE OUTCOME OF INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENTS AS WELL AS WHAT ROLE THE SOFTWARE THAT WAS USED IN THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS PLAYED IN DETERMINING THE OUTCOME OF ANY ASSESSMENTS. AND SO WE’RE NOW INTO THAT AUDIT. AND THE THING ABOUT AUDITS IS WHEN YOU DO A FULL AUDIT, IT TAKES A LONG TIME. SO THIS IS NOT A SITUATION WHERE WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A REPORT ISSUED, YOU KNOW, NEXT MONTH, BUT WE WILL DO A VERY THOROUGH REVIEW. I HAVE TO ASK HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO GET OUTSIDE INFORMATION FROM TAXPAYERS WHO FEEL THEY’VE BEEN AFFECTED? WELL, IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO GET OUTSIDE INFORMATION FROM TAXPAYER. AND THAT’S WHY WE HAVE THE WHISTLEBLOWER HOTLINE. THAT’S WHY WE ACCEPT COMPLAINTS FROM TAXPAYERS, BECAUSE THAT REALLY HELPS US DETERMINE WHERE TO FOCUS OUR ENERGY IN THE AUDITOR’S OFFICE. WE HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES. WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO AUDIT EVERY GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY IN THE STATE EVERY YEAR OR EVEN EVERY FIVE YEARS. AND SO WE HAVE TO GO WHERE THERE’S SMOKE AND LOOK FOR THE FIRE. AND THAT INFORMATION COMING FROM TAXPAYERS IS WHAT HELPS US DO THAT. ALL RIGHT. STATE AUDITOR SCOTT FITZPATRICK, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. THERE ARE A FEW WAYS THAT TAXPAYERS CAN SAVE CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. YOU COULD CALL THE STATE AUDITOR’S WHISTLEBLOWER HOTLINE AT 803 478597. OR GO ONLINE TO AUDITOR M0.GOV/HOTLINE OR SEND AN EMAIL TO MODOT AT AUDITO