There has been changes within the Village of Munson over the past month, which constituted the appointment of an Acting Chief Administrative Officer, current Starland County CAO Christopher Robblee.
The Village of Munson Mayor and Council has shared a release with the community in regards to the changes and ensuing audit via their social media page. Within the release, council shares that the “Acting CAO has pointed out areas where the Village of Munson must do better in managing finances and following bylaws. We take these findings seriously. Council is acting quickly to review past practices, strengthen our processes, and ensure full transparency moving forward.”
There has been an independent audit of the village’s finances from 2019 through 2024 and a number of issues have been found. According to the release, some restricted grants were used for operations. Some rates were changed that did not align with Village bylaws. There were issues with tax penalties from 2024 as well as issues with assessment data that did not match official assessment rolls. Issues with posting and reconciliation weaknesses were also identified. Other control and process issues were flagged.
Village Council has also shared the plans they have to rectify the issues identified, according to their release. They are looking at doing an independent review at the cost of doing a forensic audit of the books. Penalties for taxes for 2025 will be paused and be revisited once internal processes are verified and corrected. Grant funding will be held in separate accounts and tracked for specific projects. The Village is reconciling assessment values with official roll reports and plan to adjust the tax base where required. Council has directed for timely financial posting controls, month-end reconciliations that balance to zero, and independent reviews suitable for a small administration. Finally Administration will publish quarterly progress updates on audit remediation, including status of grant segregation, reconciliations, assessment alignment, and bylaw-rate compliance while internal controls are reviewed.
The end by sharing “we acknowledge that these findings are concerning. The Mayor and Council believe that it is essential to the Village’s operation to ensure its finances are accurate, compliant, and transparent.”
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