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Commissioners emphasize the independence of Missoula County's elected auditor and say audits are up to date
Summary
In the podcast the commissioners called the claim that county spending is not audited 'false,' described the role and independence of the elected county auditor, and acknowledged past difficulties contracting local auditing firms but said audits are now current.
Commissioners Juanita Vero, Josh Slotnick and Dave Strohmeyer addressed a recurring myth on their podcast: that Missoula County spending is not audited. "False," the panel said in unison, and they described the county's auditing structure and current status.
Dave Strohmeyer explained that Missoula County has an elected county auditor who, by state law and county practice, examines purchases and compares invoices to allowable expenses. He said the auditor is an independent, elected official who answers to voters rather than the board, which helps preserve impartial oversight of county spending.
Josh Slotnick said the county also undergoes external audits. He acknowledged that in the recent past the county had difficulty finding and retaining audit firms — citing that some firms left before audits were completed and that there are relatively few firms that specialize in local-government auditing — but said the county is now caught up and back on schedule with a firm (identified in the episode as located out of Pennsylvania).
The commissioners framed auditor independence as an important safeguard that lets the auditor check county books without political pressure. They said this independence protects against conflicts of interest and enables ethical and legal review of spending.
The podcast concluded with customary gratitude and reminders that listeners can send future topic suggestions to communications@missoulacounty.us and find county updates at missoula.co/countyupdates.
