Yuma City audit reveals over $20,000 missing
City of Yuma sets maximum budget limit for upcoming fiscal year - 13 On Your Side's Arlette Yousif reports
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA/KECY) - Yuma city council members voted on the $413 million preliminary budget for the upcoming fiscal year, setting the cap for city spending.
An audit of Yuma's spending over the last few years turned up some pleasant and not so pleasant findings.
Over $20,000 is still unaccounted for, even after an investigation.
“We know that it’s not our money. It’s the community’s money and the people, they entrust us to spend it wisely on their behalf. So yes, we take this very seriously. And that’s why, you know, when we self-reported all these things to our, to our auditors. We discovered it. We said hey, we made a mistake here. This is what happened. We’ve already put a, you know, corrective action plans in place," says Acting Yuma City Administrator Jay Simonton.
The investigation went a step further and involved the Yuma Police Department (YPD) looking into the missing funds, though the money has not been tracked down.
Simonton believes it was an error in the records and not that the money was taken.
“This money just couldn’t be accounted for. I believe the cash probably was just maybe deposited in the wrong account or something like that. I don’t believe the cash was ever missing. I just think because we didn’t reconcile. It’s hard to go back and find that paper trail,” explains Simonton.
While those funds may not be recuperated, the city says another set of funds was found… roughly $760,000 worth.
During the financial audit, the large sum was allocated to a specific bill. However, the city tells us the expense was counted twice… tying up double the amount.
The error was identified and the funds have been moved to the general fund, meaning it’s not tied up anymore and not lost.
Wednesday night, Yuma City Council Members voted "yes" on the preliminary budget of $413 million. This sets the cap for city spending for the upcoming fiscal year.
“The council had approved the ceiling, so the budget cannot exceed the $413 million. But they can still mix and match between categorial items,” says City of Yuma Finance Director Douglas Allen.
Under Allen's direction, the city is now reconciling expenses on a monthly basis, which city officials say will help prevent this issue from happening again.
The city has also reduced the amount of cash on hand by 48% to further minimize the risk of loss.
A public hearing will be held at Yuma City Hall on June 15, where members of our community can be heard on these and other topics.
