Auditor-controller/treasurer reports automation gains, fraud prevention and investment earnings
November 05, 2025 | Tulare County, California
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
Cook told the board the office collected nearly $600,000,000 in property taxes last year, with about $185,000,000 attributable to the county general fund; lobby collections accounted for $65,000,000 across roughly 27,000 transactions. Cook said transient occupancy taxes totaled about $4,600,000. She said the county pool stands at roughly $3.3 billion in participating local-agency funds and that pool interest earnings last year totaled about $119,000,000, of which about $42,000,000 came to the county and roughly $19,000,000 to the county general fund.
Cook described steps to thwart a recent fraud attempt and said internal audits, fraud-hotline measures, automation, system upgrades and integration have produced cost savings (she cited roughly $2,000,000 in cost savings from internalizing some investment management functions and about $200,000 in accounts-payable rebates over two years).
Board members thanked Cook for transparency and fiscal stewardship and praised the office's efforts to modernize systems and stop fraud. Cook said the office will continue to focus on automation, cross-training and fraud prevention to preserve capital and maintain liquidity.
The presentation concluded with board remarks thanking Cook and her staff for ongoing financial stewardship.
View full meeting
This article is based on a recent meeting—watch the full video and explore the complete transcript for deeper insights into the discussion.
View full meetingSponsors
Proudly supported by sponsors who keep California articles free in 2025
