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Citizen urges Pennington County to investigate alleged cash-handling problems at Treasurer's Office
Summary
A local candidate alleged that Treasurer's Office staff used whiteout on cash intake forms and that taxpayers were double-billed; he asked commissioners to add the matter to a closed-session investigation and said he had submitted supporting documents to the county office manager.
At the Feb. 17 Pennington County commission meeting, public commenter James Bialata — identified in the meeting as a candidate for the U.S. House — asked the board to investigate irregularities he said he had encountered when paying property taxes. Bialata said he had been double-billed in the past, that his property was sold on a tax certificate despite having paid, and that he recently found evidence that county treasurer staff had used whiteout on a cash intake form that had been double-signed. He questioned whether the whiteout had been applied before or after signatures and urged the commission to add the matter to a closed-session inquiry so it could be investigated.
Commissioners asked Bialata whether he had provided documents to the county. He replied that he had given materials to Jordan (the office manager) and that the submission included dates and which treasurer handled the transaction. Commissioners acknowledged the comment and proceeded with the consent agenda vote; no formal investigation motion was made on the record during the meeting.
The exchange placed the allegation on the record and prompted commission follow-up questions about whether the citizen had received a corrected credit or refund. No county official confirmed accounting errors during the meeting; commissioners and staff said they would accept any documentation and look into it through the appropriate channels.
