Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand released an agreed procedural report on the city of Riverside. This report covers the period from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020. The report contains 12 statements regarding the receipt and payment of taxpayers’ money.
The investigation examined the city council’s minutes, city internal controls, levies, surety coverage, city clerks’ financial reports and bank reconciliations, city financial resources, annual financial reports, investment policy, debt, accuracy and consistency of the Accounting, transfers, payroll and verification checks the certified budget.
Specific actions highlighted in the report include a transaction listed as a rent of $ 17,700 with town clerk Becky LaRoche, who owns the Riverside History Center building, as a potential conflict of interest. An attempt to increase the waste quota in October 2019 that was not approved by ordinance, an excise tax of just over $ 1,800 in May 2020 that the city mistakenly recorded as property tax, and a payment of just over $ 1,500 to Kieck’s Career Apparel and uniform for the listed purpose of fire department fleece jackets that may not meet the public purpose requirements for public spending.
The report proposes the following changes to limit future problems: segregation of duties for those who run the city’s business, an independent person to check accountability, control and bank reconciliation, procedures to ensure reconciliation regarding utility billing, debt collection and Accounts with supervision, documentation of the public purpose of the disbursement of city funds by the city council, approval of utility costs by ordinance, a monthly report from the city clerk with budget comparisons, review of revenues, changes to the budget and advice to legal advisers on potential conflicts of interest.