==
Kootenai County Clerk Cliff Hayes’ office sent out this press release today to inform the public about the progress in the systematic analysis of the various components of the County Clerk’s office. Figuring out what is working and what needs to be improved are ongoing processes; they will never be finished. Here is the press release.
Recent Progress in County Clerk’s Division
Customer service improvements continue in the County Clerk’s office. Training on the roles & responsibilities associated with election consolidation has been delivered to 20 representatives from taxing districts, in preparation for May 17 elections of commissioners and trustees for fire, highway, library & school districts.
Representatives from five title companies met with Clerk Cliff Hayes and staff in the Recorder’s department to share their ideas for better service. (The Recorder’s office is now open Saturdays 9AM to 2PM to handle marriage licenses, passport applications and to allow for research. No real estate recordings are done on Saturdays.)
Accountability is also being increased. Timesheets have been implemented for every employee in the Clerk’s division, including exempt staff members. Cash-handling procedures County-wide have been reviewed and tightened up if needed. Internal audit staffers have increased the frequency of their routine audits of various departments’ cash on hand, and are now making unannounced audit visits on a quarterly basis.
The State Controller’s office sent two people from Boise to review all financial procedures; their report of findings is due shortly.
“Little by little, one day at a time, we’re making tangible progress” said County Clerk Cliff Hayes. “Most of our people welcome the chance to raise professional standards more toward the excellent range.”
When is Cliff going to have time to play computer games and blog?
Comment by Dan — March 30, 2011 @ 5:03 pm
“Cash-handling procedures County-wide have been reviewed and tightened up if needed. Internal audit staffers have increased the frequency of their routine audits of various departments’ cash on hand, and are now making unannounced audit visits on a quarterly basis.”
The is absolutely no reason to have ANY cash on hand for any more that 12 hours.
If cash is received after the banks are closed then the deposit should still be made before the close of business at the county building and it will be recorded the next business dy by the bank. The should be NO cash on hand except maybe $300.00 petty cash and that’s easily handled with receipts.
Comment by Ancientemplar — March 30, 2011 @ 7:08 pm
Today at Reagan Republics, Cliff Hayes confirmed what I heard about the coffee can being used to balance cash accounts. Every day they’d take money out of the can if the drawers were light, or put money into the can if the drawers were over. When Cliff called off that nonsense, there was over $200 in the coffee can.
Thank God, after 16 years we finally have a County Clerk.
Comment by Dan — March 31, 2011 @ 4:34 pm
Dan, you were speaking tongue in cheek, I hope.
Comment by Ancientemplar — March 31, 2011 @ 6:17 pm
Dan, If you weren’t that is quite an indictment of the local education administration and practitioners that evidently has focused on disrespect,diversity and world commonality rather than the basics of grammar and arithmetic. If 20-30 year old employees don’t know how to write a receipt or make change without a cash register, something is missing within the local school districts. I imagine most of the personnel in the clerks office were educated locally but I don’t have any evidence of such. Why we,as tax payers should underwrite local tax levies for this dribble is beyond me.
This truly is an embarrassment.
Comment by Ancientemplar — March 31, 2011 @ 7:18 pm
This morning’s news/views/skewspaper had an article reporting Hayes’ talk to the Reagan Republicans.
The article mentioned the Sandra Martinson criminal case. According to ISTARS, there is a pretrial conference scheduled for July 22, 2011, and the case is scheduled to go to a jury trial on August 2, 2011. The trial is expected to last three days.
Comment by Bill — April 1, 2011 @ 6:58 am
it seems to me after reading BOTH press releases that there was nothing inherently wrong except for the POSSIBILITY of ONE rogue employee. as i see it Cliff is like any new management hire–he’s just putting his stamp on things. i wonder how much of taxpayers money he has waisted so far in finding out that things were ok–just not the way he would do it. if anyone can pinpoint gross errors in the previous admin. let US know–and i mean facts–not hearsay and innuendo.
Comment by murphyk — April 1, 2011 @ 9:38 pm
murphyk,
I do not know where you have been but there has been a LOT of evidence as to the missuse of power, malfeasance, and it had even been brought up at trial that the PREVIOUS county clark did NOT perform his duty. I do not have the time to look it up for you nor will I. It has been plastered all over the paper for a year now.
#1 We have a legal system along with others that are in bed with the GOB’s
#2 There are those either with their head in the sand or
#3 There are those that have the attitude of “we have always done it this way here in KC.”
Which are you?
Comment by concerned citizen — April 2, 2011 @ 7:23 am
murphyk,
On the witness stand, under oath, during the election contest lawsuit, former Kootenai County Clerk Dan English admitted that he had failed to keep and maintain records of applications for absent electors ballots as required by Idaho Code 34-1011.
My affidavit with attachments filed with the Court but not entered into evidence in the election contest lawsuit clearly showed that former Kootenai County Clerk Dan English and his County Elections Office staff had failed to properly comply with Idaho Code Section 50-446 and Idaho Code Section 50-447 as they were written and applicable prior to January 1, 2011.
Also, see my post titled And Again….
Finally, see my post titled Here We Go Again…. Although Hurst and Ysursa believed the practice of early opening of the absentee ballots was legal, they decided to ask this year’s legislature to pass a statute explicitly allowing it. House Bill 275, in its original form at Section 11, included wording to allow the early opening of absentee ballots. That entire section was unanimously rejected by the House State Affairs Committee. This should serve as a reminder to the Secretary of State, his Chief Deputy, and the County Clerks that they are obligated to apply the law as written and approved by the legislature and enacted into law. They do not have the unilateral authority to usurp legislative authority and amend legislation through the use of policies and practices contrary to law.
It appears to me that the new County Clerk and his staff are trying to follow the laws strictly as passed. That, no doubt, is ruffling a few feathers among other public officials who may have become complacent or immersed in the status quo corruptus.
Comment by Bill — April 2, 2011 @ 8:36 am
On 2/1/11 the BOCC met with Cliff Hayes, Tom Malzahn, and David McDowell regarding the internal audit and account problems. The minutes of this meeting states the Sheriff operates five accounts outside the county financial operations among three district court accounts. The three district court accounts where brought in but the auditor was still working on the five sheriff accounts. Regarding the outside audit “Once they were notified of the external accounts they went out and audited them.”
“They are certain three can be brought in. The other one is a Sheriff donation account we anticipate won’t be brought in. The Auditors Office will review the Sheriff Donation Account. The District Court funds are within the county financial system, but not within the Treasurers Office. Dave estimates it will take 3 months to complete the process. Each of the 8 accounts has a separate bank account not setup through the Board or Treasurer.” – – – “The Sheriff’s Donation Account – we can audit it, but the Sheriff doesn’t want the Board to have authority over checks.”
Several statutes require the Treasurer to control county public monies and obviously has not been doing that in addition it just continues unchanged for several accounts. Earlier on I was able to get Mr. Hayes to respond but he no longer is doing so. In one conversation he addressed that he thought the donation account should be under the Treasurers control and he wasn’t satisfied with not doing that until he knew for sure that would be legal. This month I requested records about what the auditor determined regarding the donation account and no records are known to exist. As far as a additional response to me or records this has been left unaddressed.
Likewise this month I inquired about records for when the outside auditor went out and audited the outside accounts as addressed in the internal audit meeting. The response was a one page Schedule of Audit Findings and Questioned Costs for the year ended September 30, 2010. None of these accounts are specifically listed with only general statements regarding mainly outstanding and canceled checks. It does state “Additionally, employees are able to circumvent the internal controls and misappropriate assets of the County” That is obvious but no specific finding was listed and provided in the response that was made to me.
Here is what I do know the Sheriff has continued to operate two accounts at an unapproved county depository in violation of the public depository law. Checks are held for weeks and months at a time and currently for the past two months I have identified over $7,000 missing from one of the accounts and Mr. Hayes will not reply about that. Checks are still signed by one person in the auditor’s office in violation of IC 31-1511. One person at the Sheriff’s offices also signs on different accounts.
This year I started to track the Sheriff’s outside accounts. This month I made a request for the account statements for the month of February to find one account was not provided to the Auditor, I believe that account to be the donation account that apparently is not being audited by the board and auditor because they are not even getting the information. I was emailed that the auditor was requesting the missing February statement from the Sheriff (only because of my request) and it would be provided to me upon receipt but nothing yet over a week later.
I also requested March’s bank statements for the outside accounts and the reply was they are normally given to the auditor by the middle of the month but nothing yet. In what I believe is the donation account this past January I found two whole number deposits and requested information about them from the auditor with the response that records are not known to exist.
What’s Changed?
Comment by Appalled — April 21, 2011 @ 1:26 pm