A report issued by the State Auditor’s Office on a review of employee travel expenses for Cass County personnel and elected officials determined some officials used County credit cards improperly and a county employee was doing non-beneficial work on County time.  The review was for the period of July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2016 and was conducted as a result of citizen concerns regarding the frequency of County Treasurer Tracey Marshall’s travel and certain purchases made using a County credit card.

The review determined County-issued credit cards were used to purchase items not related to County business. County Treasurer Tracey Marshall used the County credit card assigned to her to make purchases for the National Association of County Collectors, Treasurers, and Finance Officers (NACCTFO) and the National Tax Lein Association (NTLA). Of the $16,972.07 of payments on Ms. Marshall’s County Credit card, $3,982.91 were issued directly to the credit card vendor by NACCTFO for purchases on its behalf.  Marshall also issued a payment directly to the creditor totaling $513.24 for purchases she made on behalf of NTLA.

County Veteran Affairs Commission Executive Director Mitch Holmes also used the County credit card for personal purchases but  issued payment directly to the creditor for those purchases.

The County credit card policy specifies that County cards may not be used for purposes other than County expenses such as fuel, meals during overnight travel, lodging, and equipment purchases.  The review also determined that supporting documentation is not always provided or required for employee travel expenses submitted for reimbursement.

Of the $42, 847.83 of travel expenses reviewed $1,334.39 of improper and unsupported disbursements were identified. Of that amount, $590.53 was improper disbursements and includes $251 of personal hotel expenses, $175 of guest registration fees for County Attorney Dave Weiderstein’s family at County Attorneys Spring Training Conferences, and $132.40 for excess miles claimed by certain County personnel. The remaining $743.86 is considered to be unsupported disbursements and includes primarily lodging expenses and mileage reimbursements for which the destination and/or purpose of the trip were not documented.

Additionally the review found that an employee within the Treasurer’s Office processed numerous financial transactions and maintained accounting records for NACCTFO during regular business hours at the instruction of Treasurer Marshall.  This is determined as an improper use of County resources because that work does not provide a direct benefit to the county. A Treasurer’s Office employee should not be fulfilling duties committed to by Marshall.

Recommendations were made by the State Auditor to strengthen the County’s internal controls and overall operations, such as ensuring County-issued credit cards are used only for County business, ensuring all County purchases are properly supported with original, detailed receipts or invoices, and ensuring the County Board of Supervisors reviews supporting documentation for expenditures on a periodic basis.

Copies of the report have been filed with the Cass County Board of Supervisors and is available for review in the Office of Auditor of State and on the Auditor of State’s website: http://auditor.iowa.gov/reports/1610-0015-BE00

DES MOINES, IA – Iowa Workforce Development has announced that the IowaWORKS Center in Denison will remain open two days per week to offer career training and support services. The Center will operate at the current location until at least the end of October, with plans underway to maintain a presence in the community in another location beyond that date.

Starting Monday, Oct. 2, the Center will be open from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. every Monday and Thursday. The Center is located at 519 Highway 39 in Denison.

“The residents of Crawford County have embraced the opportunity to receive workforce services locally and we are excited to be able to keep the office in Denison open,” said Beth Townsend, Director, Iowa Workforce Development. “The community has been very appreciative of the services available and many residents have received training, classes and career services help.”

Evan Blakley, Executive Director of the Chamber and Development Council of Crawford County (CDC), is pleased with the announcement. “We’re a growing community, which means maintaining access to workforce services in Crawford County is a high priority,” Blakley said. “The CDC is working with the City, IWD, Region XII COG, and others to secure a long-term location for these important services. Hundreds of clients use the center each month, demonstrating a need for the center in Denison.”

Iowa Workforce Development opened the Center in September of 2015 to provide support to the 400 workers displaced by the Tyson Fresh Meats plant closure in August of 2015.

The Center was originally scheduled to close at the end of March 2016, but dislocated workers in Crawford County were able to receive services for an another 18 months due to additional federal funds. With those funds coming to an end, Iowa Workforce Development announced in May the Center was closing on Sept. 30.

Following discussions with community leaders, the decision was made to keep the Center open two days a week for residents to continue to receive services locally. Discussion continues around various options for a new location, and the public will be updated once that location is known.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest Wednesday of 58-year-old Mary Helen Adams of Red Oak. Adams was arrested at 11:00amat 105 East Coolbaugh Street in Red Oak on a Pottawattamie County Warrant of OWI 1st Offense. She was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $10,000 bond pending extradition to Pottawattamie County.