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State audit: Whitman County's financial reporting procedures still inadequate

June 22, 2009, 3:38 pm

The Washington State Auditor’s Office has deemed Whitman County’s financial reporting procedures inadequate for the fourth year in a row.

According to an auditor’s office report released today, the county was unable to provide reliable financial statements for the period beginning Jan. 1, 2007 and ending Dec. 31, 2007.

“County officials have, to a limited extent, taken steps to correct conditions noted in prior audit findings,” State Auditor Brian Sontag wrote in the report. “However, current findings reflect repeat conditions that have been reported since 2004. The County has been unable to produce timely or reliable financial statements for the past four years.”

Commissioner Michael Largent said the county was aware of the situation prior to the report’s release.

He said the county had hoped to have its 2007 financial report complete in time for the May 31, 2009 deadline required by the state, but it eventually became clear the county did not have the resources to meet the deadline.

He said the county informed the state in early April that it would not continue trying to resolve its financial reporting errors for fiscal year 2007, and would instead focus on completing its 2008 financial report on time rather than play catch-up with previous years.

“We are about four to five months ahead with that,” he said of the 2008 financial report. “At a certain point we just had to move on and look to a point in the future where we can just draw a line in the sand.”

Visit DNews.com or see Tuesday's edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News for more on this developing story.