Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick has initiated an audit of the City of Merriam Woods, located in Taney County, due to possible misused city funds that led to the termination of the former police chief. This action follows a petition by city officials, who adopted an ordinance requesting the review after discovering discrepancies and misappropriation in their bank accounts and credit cards.
“Thankfully, city officials were able to discover the potential fraud and act quickly to prevent additional taxpayer dollars from being misused. Now we will do our best to provide a complete picture to the city and the residents of Merriam Woods about what happened so they have the answers they deserve, and so they will have a roadmap for how to prevent something similar from happening in the future,” said Auditor Fitzpatrick.
The issues in Merriam Woods were initially brought to the State Auditor’s Office’s attention through a Whistleblower Hotline complaint. An investigation found the city’s concerns credible and recommended an audit. Subsequently, city officials adopted a resolution inviting the Auditor’s Office to conduct the audit. Members of the State Auditor’s Office officially began the audit on July 23 with an entrance meeting with city officials.
Individuals may provide confidential information for consideration during the audit of the City of Merriam Woods to the State Auditor’s Whistleblower Hotline at 800-347-8597 or by email at moaudit@auditor.mo.gov.
