State Audit Cites Crawfordsville City Clerk for Improper Payments

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By Aaron Hepker

Story Created: Feb 26, 2010 at 2:49 PM CST

Story Updated: Feb 26, 2010 at 2:49 PM CST

DES MOINES - A state audit released Friday points to $31,602 in improper disbursements and undeposited collections for the city of Crawfordsville over a 10-year period.

“The investigation began after city officials identified payments from the city’s checking account for utility and telephone services, which included billings for both the city and the personal residence of John Hamil, the former city clerk,” state Auditor from David Vaudt said in a statement.

The audit, which covered July 1, 1999, through Feb. 28, 2009, showed that improper disbursements of $27,014.84 included $8,733.17 from the city’s checking accounts for telephone service and $9,947.47 for electric service, both at the former city clerk’s personal residence.

Hamil, the former city clerk who worked out of his home, could not be reached for comment.

Findings of the audit also included:

* $960 of unauthorized payroll checks and $240 of additional pay included in Hamil’s monthly payroll amounts.
* $2,032.40 of improper reimbursements to Hamil.
* Payment by the city of both the employee’s and the employer’s shares of contributions to the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System. The employee’s share, from Jan. 1, 1993 into the third quarter of 2005 totaled $2,261.88 for Hamil and $1,940.08 for other city employees.
* $4,587.39 of undeposited collections that included $545 of cash withheld from deposits.
* $1,036.54 of unpaid utility billings for Hamil’s personal residence were identified. Of that, $835.36 was for July 1999 through June 2001 and $201.18 was for October 2008 through February 2009.
* While water billing journals could not be located for July 2001 through September 2008, Vaudt estimated an additional $3,005.85 of water billings were unpaid by Hamil for that period.

The report recommends the city strengthen its internal controls and documentation to ensure council minutes are properly signed and that it develop written accounting policies and procedures.

Copies of the report were filed with the Division of Criminal Investigation, the Washington County Attorney’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office.

Washington County Attorney Barb Edmondson said she was unable to comment on the audit, “but I can tell you it is under investigation.”

Crawfordsville Mayor Tom Conrad could not be reached for comment.

The report can be viewed at the Auditor of State office and on its Web site at http://auditor.iowa.gov/specials/index.html

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