KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Several municipal departments in Belton lack adequate accounting procedures, according to the results of an audit initiated by citizen petition.
The Missouri State Auditor’s office gave the city of Belton an overall rating of good, but suggested improvements to financial control and procedures.
"My office conducted an independent review of Belton and found several areas to increase accountability to taxpayers," Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway said in a statement. "I am encouraged by the responses of city officials to our recommendations, and urge them to continue moving forward with those measures."
Belton’s procedures to ensure that overhead and administrative costs designated for restricted funds are spent in accordance with those city policies aren’t adequate, according to the report from Nicole Galloway’s office.
Some money transferred to Wastewater and Water Funds lacked supporting documentation, including approximately $325,000 in excess transfers during fiscal year 2020 alone.
The audit also found the Belton Police Department’s accounting duties aren’t properly deliniated and some review functions haven’t been performed.
With respect to the Parks and Recreation Department, the report suggests improvements to the way the department catalogs receipts, accounts for monetary collections and supervises certain types of transactions.
Additionally, the city needs to develop “a records management and retention policy” that complies with state law, the audit determined.
The Belton audit also found that several former city employees received severance packages that were not approved by the Belton City Council or Park Board and “may have not been necessary or reasonable.”
“In their responses to the audit, city officials said they have since adopted policies to address those concerns,” according to a release from Galloway’s office.
A full copy of the report is available online.
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