Audit of Barry County now underway

The Missouri State Auditor's Office has started a regularly scheduled audit of Barry County, located in southwest Missouri. The audit officially commenced with an entrance meeting with county officials on Monday, December 15.

The Missouri State Auditor's Office last issued a performance audit of Barry County in 2019. The audit gave the county a rating of "fair" and recommended better checks and balances in the sheriff's office to ensure proper oversight of financial transactions. The report also found the county should do more to protect electronic data and prevent unauthorized access to county records. The State Auditor's Office also released a closeout audit of the Barry County Collector in 2019. The audit gave the office a rating of "good" while recommending better documentation of receipts.

Individuals may provide information confidentially for consideration during the audit of Barry County to the State Auditor's Whistleblower Hotline by calling 800-347-8597, emailing moaudit@auditor.mo.gov, or by visiting www.auditor.mo.gov/hotline.