Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/28/2010
Post: 806
It's Tuesday, so that means it's time for an Elvis song! Here's Elvis singing "In The Ghetto" .....
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Photo Of The Day - Tuesday, 9/28/2010
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/28/2010
Post: 805
Date: 9/28/2010
Post: 805
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Charles D. Eitzen Monument Hermann City Park Photo by Dick Schaefer (Hermann Hearsay). Copyright protected. All rights reserved. |
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Charles D. Eitzen Monument Hermann City Park Photo by Dick Schaefer (Hermann Hearsay). Copyright protected. All rights reserved. |
Laugh Of The Day - Tuesday, 9/28/2010
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/28/2010
Post: 804
From the movie "Caddyshack" .....
"This crowd has gone deadly silent. A Cinderella story, outta nowhere. Former greenskeeper and now about to become the masters champion. It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!" ~ Bill Murray as "Carl Spackler"
Post: 804
From the movie "Caddyshack" .....
"This crowd has gone deadly silent. A Cinderella story, outta nowhere. Former greenskeeper and now about to become the masters champion. It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!" ~ Bill Murray as "Carl Spackler"
Quote Of The Day - Tuesday, 9/28/2010
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/28/2010
Post: 803
"Americans play to win at all times. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor ever will lose a war." ~ General George S. Patton
Post: 803
"Americans play to win at all times. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor ever will lose a war." ~ General George S. Patton
Bible Verse Of The Day - Tuesday, 9/28/2010
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/28/2010
Post: 802 (corrected total)
All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. ~ Colossians 1:6b
Paul describes the gospel as a living entity. Notice that it is the gospel that is bearing fruit and growing. Once people really understand the good news, the gospel has a life of it’s own that expands in surprising ways. Just ask the underground church in China or the new expressions of faith that are appearing all over America. In a day when mainline churches are declining, the gospel is going forward in dynamic new ways. We can’t contain it nor should we. When we feel spiritually dry and worn out, we need to come back to the gospel. Have you reminded yourself of God’s grace in all its truth today?
Today’s commentary by: Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org
Post: 802 (corrected total)
All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. ~ Colossians 1:6b
Paul describes the gospel as a living entity. Notice that it is the gospel that is bearing fruit and growing. Once people really understand the good news, the gospel has a life of it’s own that expands in surprising ways. Just ask the underground church in China or the new expressions of faith that are appearing all over America. In a day when mainline churches are declining, the gospel is going forward in dynamic new ways. We can’t contain it nor should we. When we feel spiritually dry and worn out, we need to come back to the gospel. Have you reminded yourself of God’s grace in all its truth today?
Today’s commentary by: Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org
Monday, September 27, 2010
What do the last two Missouri State Audit Reports say about financial controls within the Gasconade County Sheriff's Depatment?
Published by Dick Schaefer, Award-winning, Unpaid, Part-time Contributing Writer; Amateur Investigative Reporter; and Aspiring Photo-Journalist
Date: 9/27/2010
Post: 806
What do the last two Missouri State Audit Reports say about financial controls within the Gasconade County Sheriff's Department?
Copied and pasted below are the audit findings from this year and the audit findings from 2006. I'll let you read these audit findings for yourself. I'll let you be the judge.
AUGUST, 2010 AUDIT REPORT for GASCONADE COUNTY
Report No. 2010-105
Issued for years ending December 31, 2008 and 2009
By Missouri State Auditor, Susan Montee
From pages 8 and 9 of final audit report posted at http://auditor.mo.gov/press/2010-105.pdf .....
3. Sheriff's Controls and Procedures
Accounting duties are not adequately segregated, and the propriety of some disbursements appears questionable. The Sheriff's office collected approximately $52,000 and $76,000 during the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
3.1 Segregation of duties
Accounting duties are not adequately segregated. The office manager is primarily responsible for all accounting duties in the Sheriff's office, including billing and collecting monies, recording transactions, making deposits, preparing and signing checks, and completing month-end reports and reconciliations.
Similar conditions were noted in our prior audit reports, and the Sheriff indicated duties cannot be segregated due to a lack of office staff. In lieu of segregating duties, the Sheriff requested the County Treasurer review the monthly bank reconciliations. While the County Treasurer receives and reviews the monthly bank reconciliations for the Sheriff's fee account, he generally just reviews the mathematical accuracy of the reconciliations and does not compare the reconciled bank balance to the Sheriff's accounting records.
Proper segregation of duties is necessary to ensure all transactions are accounted for properly and assets are adequately safeguarded. If adequate segregation cannot be achieved due to the limited staff available, the Sheriff's office should implement a documented independent or supervisory review to ensure the bank records are in agreement with the accounting records.
3.2 Questionable disbursements
Disbursements incurred by the Sheriff's office for advertising do not appear to represent a necessary use of county funds. During 2009 and 2008, the Sheriff's office purchased band booster advertisements totaling approximately $1,000 per year, which were paid from the county's General Revenue Fund and approved by the County Commission.
The Sheriff's office manager explained the advertisements are purchased to increase public awareness of the Sheriff's department. Starting in 2010, the County Commission no longer allows payment for advertising from the General Revenue Fund. The Sheriff currently pays these expenses from the Sheriff Department Law Enforcement (Civil Fees) Fund, which is controlled by the Sheriff and not by the County Commission.
The county residents have placed a fiduciary trust in county officials to ensure expenditures represent a necessary use of public funds. The Sheriff should evaluate the propriety of spending county funds on these types of items.
Recommendations To The Sheriff .....
3.1 Adequately segregate accounting duties to the extent possible or ensure documented supervisory or independent reviews are performed to ensure the bank records agree to the accounting records.
3.2 Ensure all disbursements from county funds represent necessary uses of county funds.
Auditee's response .....
The Sheriff provided the following written responses:
3.1 The Sheriff will personally review and initial all monthly bank records to ensure that the bank records and accounting records agree.
3.2 The Sheriff will personally ensure that all disbursements from county funds will represent the necessary use of county funds. In regards to the audit finding concerning advertisements done by the Sheriff's office, the Sheriff feels that community awareness programs are an integral part of the overall responsibility the Sheriff has to keep the citizens of Gasconade County informed of programs that are available to citizens and citizen groups and that the Sheriff will continue to support these awareness programs. The Sheriff understands that the County Commission will no longer allow for these types of disbursements.
NOVEMBER, 2006 AUDIT REPORT for GASCONADE COUNTY
Report No. 2006-67
Issued for audit years ending December 31, 2004 and 2005
By Missouri State Auditor, Claire McCaskill
From pages 32, 33, 34 and 35 of final audit report posted at http://auditor.mo.gov/press/2006-67.pdf .....
3. Sheriff's Controls and Procedures
Significant problems were noted in the controls over collections of the Sheriff's office, and as a result, the Sheriff's office did not detect $974 receipts which were not deposited and appear to be missing. Problems include a lack of segregation of duties or supervisory reviews, lack of reconciliations between receipts and deposits, receipt slips not issued for some collections, receipts not deposited intact in a timely manner, and no reconciliations between liabilities and cash balances. In addition, Sheriff's sales fees were not properly distributed to the county.
The Sheriff's Department handled receipts of approximately $54,000 and $111,000 during the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively.
A. Cash receipts totaling $974 collected by the Sheriff's office from January 200 through December 2005 could not be traced to deposits into the Sheriff's bank accounts. We detected this problem while reconciling the Sheriff's receipt records to deposits. The majority of these receipts appear to be gun permit fees received in cash which were recorded on the cash control ledger but were not deposited.
These missing funds occurred during the terms of both the current Sheriff, who took office on January 1, 2005, and the former Sheriff. The current Sheriff indicated he would investigate this matter and attempt to resolve the discrepancies between receipts and deposits.
These missing funds were not detected by the Sheriff's office due to several record keeping deficiencies and internal control weaknesses, including a lack of reconciliation between receipts and deposits, as discussed below. In addition, due to the problems and weaknesses, additional monies may have been received and not deposited that were not discovered, in particular for periods prior to January 2004.
B. Cash custody and recordkeeping duties are not adequately segregated. The Sheriff's office manager is responsible for receiving, recording, depositing, and disbursing all monies, as well as reconciling the bank accounts. While the County Treasurer performs an independent review of the monthly bank reconciliations, there is no supervisory review or comparison of the Sheriff's accounting records to the bank records.
Internal controls would be improved by segregating the duties of receiving and depositing monies from recording and reconciling receipts. If proper segregation of duties cannot be achieved, at a minimum, periodic supervisory reviews of the accounting records should be performed and documented.
A similar condition was noted in a prior report.
C. Receipt slips are not issued for some monies received and receipts are not reconciled to deposits. In addition, the method of payment is not always noted on receipt slips.
To adequately account for collections and reduce the risk of loss or misuse of funds, pre-numbered receipt slips, which indicate the method of payment received, should be issued for all monies received immediately upon receipt. Receipts should also be reconciled to bank deposits, including the composition of monies received (i.e. cash, checks, or money orders). The lack of reconciliations between receipts and deposits appears to have allowed the shortage noted in Part A above to go undetected by the Sheriff's office.
D. Monies are not always deposited intact or in a timely manner. For example, a $222 cash bond received on October 12, 2005 was not deposited until October 24, 2005. In addition, as noted in Part A above, some cash receipts could not be traced to any deposits, and some cash receipts were withheld and included in subsequent deposits. For example, $120 cash received between December 21, 2004 and January 4, 2005, was withheld from the January 4, 2005 deposit and subsequently deposited with other receipts on January 20, 2005. Our review noted deposits are generally made three to four times a month and the average deposit during October through December 2005, was $1,380.
To adequately account for collections and reduce the risk of loss or misuse of funds, deposits should be made intact on a timely basis. Deposits should be more frequent if significant amounts of cash are collected.
E. The Sheriff does not have procedures to ensure all monies received are disbursed. All monies received by the Sheriff, which includes cash bonds and accountable fees, are normally disbursed by the end of each month and the Sheriff's bank account should zero out at the end of each month. However, on December 31, 2005, the account had a balance of $1,343 which was unidentified. This amount fluctuates from month to month because of receipts that were not deposited and the overall lack of reconciliations.
The Sheriff should adopt procedures to reconcile all receipts and deposits to amounts disbursed to ensure the bank account zeroes out each month, or if any receipts cannot be disbursed at the end of the month, these amounts should be identified and reconciled to the bank balances. Any unidentified amounts in the bank account should be investigated and resolved. Various statutory provisions, including Sections 447.500 through 447.595, RSMo, provide for the disposition of unclaimed monies.
F. Some Sheriff's sale fees were not properly disbursed. The Sheriff deposited proceeds from a partition sale held in May 2004 into the Sheriff's fee account and withheld $463 in accountable fees; however, this amount was not disbursed to the county's General Revenue Fund and remains in the Sheriff's bank account. The Sheriff also withheld fees from another partition sale held in March 2005; however, the amount disbursed to the county was $89 more than the accountable fee of $150. The $89 had already been disbursed to a vendor for towing fees, causing a shortage in the account. These errors were apparently not discovered because of the lack of reconciliations noted in Part E above.
Attorney General’s Opinion No. 108, 1970 to Holman, provides that commissions on partition sales are accountable fees and should be paid into the county’s General Revenue Fund. The Sheriff should ensure that all accountable fees withheld from partition sale proceeds are properly disbursed to the county.
WE RECOMMEND the Sheriff:
A. Follow up on this matter and reimburse his official account for any amounts remaining that could not be traced to a deposit.
B. Segregate accounting duties to the extent possible and ensure periodic supervisory reviews are performed and documented.
C. Require receipt slips be issued for all monies received, and ensure the method of payment is recorded on the receipt slips and receipts are reconciled to deposits.
D. Deposit all monies intact on a timely basis.
E. Ensure all receipts are disbursed and the balance of the bank account zeroes out at the end of each month. Any receipts that cannot be disbursed by the end of the month should be documented and reconciled to the bank balance. Amounts which cannot be identified should be investigated, and any monies remaining unclaimed should be disposed of in accordance with state law.
F. Correct the errors noted above in the distribution of partition sale fees and ensure all fees from future sales are properly disbursed.
AUDITEE'S RESPONSE
A. A follow up done by the Office Manager appears to have located $199 of the $974. In addition, another $323.65 appears to have been deposited that was not recorded, but some of this may represent checks received for serving papers that was not recorded and may not be part of the $974. Additional follow up on this matter will be considered, and upon the conclusion of our work, we will make a determination on how to reimburse the account for the remaining difference.
B. All accounting procedures will be checked and double checked by the Office Manager and then checked by me personally periodically. Accounts will also continue to be checked by the County Treasurer.
C. Receipt slips will be issued for all monies received to ensure proper accounting. Receipts will be reconciled to deposits.
D. Daily deposits will be made.
E. The bank account will be zeroed out at the end of each month. Recently, a new bank account was opened and the old one closed to help ensure the account zeroes out. I will check this periodically.
F. All fee monies collected as a result of Sheriff's sales will be disbursed according to state law.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So I ask you .....
Post: 806
What do the last two Missouri State Audit Reports say about financial controls within the Gasconade County Sheriff's Department?
Copied and pasted below are the audit findings from this year and the audit findings from 2006. I'll let you read these audit findings for yourself. I'll let you be the judge.
AUGUST, 2010 AUDIT REPORT for GASCONADE COUNTY
Report No. 2010-105
Issued for years ending December 31, 2008 and 2009
By Missouri State Auditor, Susan Montee
From pages 8 and 9 of final audit report posted at http://auditor.mo.gov/press/2010-105.pdf .....
3. Sheriff's Controls and Procedures
Accounting duties are not adequately segregated, and the propriety of some disbursements appears questionable. The Sheriff's office collected approximately $52,000 and $76,000 during the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
3.1 Segregation of duties
Accounting duties are not adequately segregated. The office manager is primarily responsible for all accounting duties in the Sheriff's office, including billing and collecting monies, recording transactions, making deposits, preparing and signing checks, and completing month-end reports and reconciliations.
Similar conditions were noted in our prior audit reports, and the Sheriff indicated duties cannot be segregated due to a lack of office staff. In lieu of segregating duties, the Sheriff requested the County Treasurer review the monthly bank reconciliations. While the County Treasurer receives and reviews the monthly bank reconciliations for the Sheriff's fee account, he generally just reviews the mathematical accuracy of the reconciliations and does not compare the reconciled bank balance to the Sheriff's accounting records.
Proper segregation of duties is necessary to ensure all transactions are accounted for properly and assets are adequately safeguarded. If adequate segregation cannot be achieved due to the limited staff available, the Sheriff's office should implement a documented independent or supervisory review to ensure the bank records are in agreement with the accounting records.
3.2 Questionable disbursements
Disbursements incurred by the Sheriff's office for advertising do not appear to represent a necessary use of county funds. During 2009 and 2008, the Sheriff's office purchased band booster advertisements totaling approximately $1,000 per year, which were paid from the county's General Revenue Fund and approved by the County Commission.
The Sheriff's office manager explained the advertisements are purchased to increase public awareness of the Sheriff's department. Starting in 2010, the County Commission no longer allows payment for advertising from the General Revenue Fund. The Sheriff currently pays these expenses from the Sheriff Department Law Enforcement (Civil Fees) Fund, which is controlled by the Sheriff and not by the County Commission.
The county residents have placed a fiduciary trust in county officials to ensure expenditures represent a necessary use of public funds. The Sheriff should evaluate the propriety of spending county funds on these types of items.
Recommendations To The Sheriff .....
3.1 Adequately segregate accounting duties to the extent possible or ensure documented supervisory or independent reviews are performed to ensure the bank records agree to the accounting records.
3.2 Ensure all disbursements from county funds represent necessary uses of county funds.
Auditee's response .....
The Sheriff provided the following written responses:
3.1 The Sheriff will personally review and initial all monthly bank records to ensure that the bank records and accounting records agree.
3.2 The Sheriff will personally ensure that all disbursements from county funds will represent the necessary use of county funds. In regards to the audit finding concerning advertisements done by the Sheriff's office, the Sheriff feels that community awareness programs are an integral part of the overall responsibility the Sheriff has to keep the citizens of Gasconade County informed of programs that are available to citizens and citizen groups and that the Sheriff will continue to support these awareness programs. The Sheriff understands that the County Commission will no longer allow for these types of disbursements.
NOVEMBER, 2006 AUDIT REPORT for GASCONADE COUNTY
Report No. 2006-67
Issued for audit years ending December 31, 2004 and 2005
By Missouri State Auditor, Claire McCaskill
From pages 32, 33, 34 and 35 of final audit report posted at http://auditor.mo.gov/press/2006-67.pdf .....
3. Sheriff's Controls and Procedures
Significant problems were noted in the controls over collections of the Sheriff's office, and as a result, the Sheriff's office did not detect $974 receipts which were not deposited and appear to be missing. Problems include a lack of segregation of duties or supervisory reviews, lack of reconciliations between receipts and deposits, receipt slips not issued for some collections, receipts not deposited intact in a timely manner, and no reconciliations between liabilities and cash balances. In addition, Sheriff's sales fees were not properly distributed to the county.
The Sheriff's Department handled receipts of approximately $54,000 and $111,000 during the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively.
A. Cash receipts totaling $974 collected by the Sheriff's office from January 200 through December 2005 could not be traced to deposits into the Sheriff's bank accounts. We detected this problem while reconciling the Sheriff's receipt records to deposits. The majority of these receipts appear to be gun permit fees received in cash which were recorded on the cash control ledger but were not deposited.
These missing funds occurred during the terms of both the current Sheriff, who took office on January 1, 2005, and the former Sheriff. The current Sheriff indicated he would investigate this matter and attempt to resolve the discrepancies between receipts and deposits.
These missing funds were not detected by the Sheriff's office due to several record keeping deficiencies and internal control weaknesses, including a lack of reconciliation between receipts and deposits, as discussed below. In addition, due to the problems and weaknesses, additional monies may have been received and not deposited that were not discovered, in particular for periods prior to January 2004.
B. Cash custody and recordkeeping duties are not adequately segregated. The Sheriff's office manager is responsible for receiving, recording, depositing, and disbursing all monies, as well as reconciling the bank accounts. While the County Treasurer performs an independent review of the monthly bank reconciliations, there is no supervisory review or comparison of the Sheriff's accounting records to the bank records.
Internal controls would be improved by segregating the duties of receiving and depositing monies from recording and reconciling receipts. If proper segregation of duties cannot be achieved, at a minimum, periodic supervisory reviews of the accounting records should be performed and documented.
A similar condition was noted in a prior report.
C. Receipt slips are not issued for some monies received and receipts are not reconciled to deposits. In addition, the method of payment is not always noted on receipt slips.
To adequately account for collections and reduce the risk of loss or misuse of funds, pre-numbered receipt slips, which indicate the method of payment received, should be issued for all monies received immediately upon receipt. Receipts should also be reconciled to bank deposits, including the composition of monies received (i.e. cash, checks, or money orders). The lack of reconciliations between receipts and deposits appears to have allowed the shortage noted in Part A above to go undetected by the Sheriff's office.
D. Monies are not always deposited intact or in a timely manner. For example, a $222 cash bond received on October 12, 2005 was not deposited until October 24, 2005. In addition, as noted in Part A above, some cash receipts could not be traced to any deposits, and some cash receipts were withheld and included in subsequent deposits. For example, $120 cash received between December 21, 2004 and January 4, 2005, was withheld from the January 4, 2005 deposit and subsequently deposited with other receipts on January 20, 2005. Our review noted deposits are generally made three to four times a month and the average deposit during October through December 2005, was $1,380.
To adequately account for collections and reduce the risk of loss or misuse of funds, deposits should be made intact on a timely basis. Deposits should be more frequent if significant amounts of cash are collected.
E. The Sheriff does not have procedures to ensure all monies received are disbursed. All monies received by the Sheriff, which includes cash bonds and accountable fees, are normally disbursed by the end of each month and the Sheriff's bank account should zero out at the end of each month. However, on December 31, 2005, the account had a balance of $1,343 which was unidentified. This amount fluctuates from month to month because of receipts that were not deposited and the overall lack of reconciliations.
The Sheriff should adopt procedures to reconcile all receipts and deposits to amounts disbursed to ensure the bank account zeroes out each month, or if any receipts cannot be disbursed at the end of the month, these amounts should be identified and reconciled to the bank balances. Any unidentified amounts in the bank account should be investigated and resolved. Various statutory provisions, including Sections 447.500 through 447.595, RSMo, provide for the disposition of unclaimed monies.
F. Some Sheriff's sale fees were not properly disbursed. The Sheriff deposited proceeds from a partition sale held in May 2004 into the Sheriff's fee account and withheld $463 in accountable fees; however, this amount was not disbursed to the county's General Revenue Fund and remains in the Sheriff's bank account. The Sheriff also withheld fees from another partition sale held in March 2005; however, the amount disbursed to the county was $89 more than the accountable fee of $150. The $89 had already been disbursed to a vendor for towing fees, causing a shortage in the account. These errors were apparently not discovered because of the lack of reconciliations noted in Part E above.
Attorney General’s Opinion No. 108, 1970 to Holman, provides that commissions on partition sales are accountable fees and should be paid into the county’s General Revenue Fund. The Sheriff should ensure that all accountable fees withheld from partition sale proceeds are properly disbursed to the county.
WE RECOMMEND the Sheriff:
A. Follow up on this matter and reimburse his official account for any amounts remaining that could not be traced to a deposit.
B. Segregate accounting duties to the extent possible and ensure periodic supervisory reviews are performed and documented.
C. Require receipt slips be issued for all monies received, and ensure the method of payment is recorded on the receipt slips and receipts are reconciled to deposits.
D. Deposit all monies intact on a timely basis.
E. Ensure all receipts are disbursed and the balance of the bank account zeroes out at the end of each month. Any receipts that cannot be disbursed by the end of the month should be documented and reconciled to the bank balance. Amounts which cannot be identified should be investigated, and any monies remaining unclaimed should be disposed of in accordance with state law.
F. Correct the errors noted above in the distribution of partition sale fees and ensure all fees from future sales are properly disbursed.
AUDITEE'S RESPONSE
A. A follow up done by the Office Manager appears to have located $199 of the $974. In addition, another $323.65 appears to have been deposited that was not recorded, but some of this may represent checks received for serving papers that was not recorded and may not be part of the $974. Additional follow up on this matter will be considered, and upon the conclusion of our work, we will make a determination on how to reimburse the account for the remaining difference.
B. All accounting procedures will be checked and double checked by the Office Manager and then checked by me personally periodically. Accounts will also continue to be checked by the County Treasurer.
C. Receipt slips will be issued for all monies received to ensure proper accounting. Receipts will be reconciled to deposits.
D. Daily deposits will be made.
E. The bank account will be zeroed out at the end of each month. Recently, a new bank account was opened and the old one closed to help ensure the account zeroes out. I will check this periodically.
F. All fee monies collected as a result of Sheriff's sales will be disbursed according to state law.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So I ask you .....
- Do you see any similarities in the audit findings from November, 2006 to August, 2010? What do these "similar findings" say about efforts made by the Sheriff's Department to correct deficiencies from one audit to the next? Do you have any confidence in the Sheriff's Department system of financial controls?
- What do you think about the "questionable disbursements" for "advertising"? Would you like to know more about those "advertisements"? (You've seen them in the Hermann Advertiser-Courier ... Hermann Bearcat Booster ads.) Would you like to know what the purpose of the "Sheriff's Department Law Enforcement (Civil Fees) Fund" is and whether these funds should be used for "political advertisements"?
- Perhaps you noticed other things from the last two state audits which give rise to further questions. If so, what questions do you have?
Sharon Meyer Enumerates Reasons For Running For County Clerk
Published by Jimmy Oldsun, NDRIRSRWRAFTC & Editor
Date: 9/27/2010
Post: 805
Several weeks ago, Hermann Hearsay endorsed Sharon Meyer (D) for the office of Gasconade County Clerk. Sharon has enumerated her reasons for running for the office of county clerk on her website: http://www.newcountyclerk.info/. Sharon lists her concerns as follows:
Concerns Regarding the Office of Gasconade County Clerk
ELECTION AUTHORITY
The citizens’ right to vote is the cornerstone of our country’s democracy.
I have concerns with:
Gasconade County government is big business, Approximately $5 million a year.
I have concerns with:
To be accountable to citizens government must have accurate, organized records.
I have concerns with:
The county clerk is involved in all phases of Gasconade County government.
As county clerk I will bring a new level of integrity, accountability and professionalism to the office to address the above concerns because the citizens of Gasconade County deserve nothing less!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermann Hearsay urges each of our readers to educate yourself regarding the issues and concerns which Sharon Meyer raises. And if you become convinced, as I am, that we need a change in the office of county clerk, then please cast your vote for Sharon Meyer. If you are a staunch Republican and have never voted for a Democrat before, I urge you to do so in the November general election. Forget about party labels, and vote for GOOD GOVERNMENT above any other consideration!
Post: 805
Several weeks ago, Hermann Hearsay endorsed Sharon Meyer (D) for the office of Gasconade County Clerk. Sharon has enumerated her reasons for running for the office of county clerk on her website: http://www.newcountyclerk.info/. Sharon lists her concerns as follows:
Concerns Regarding the Office of Gasconade County Clerk
ELECTION AUTHORITY
The citizens’ right to vote is the cornerstone of our country’s democracy.
I have concerns with:
- The election process in Gasconade County
- Voter registration reporting
- Lack of proper petition verification
- Lack of Voter Education/Outreach Programs
Gasconade County government is big business, Approximately $5 million a year.
I have concerns with:
- Concerns with accountability, transparency, and strong fiscal management
- The annual budget process, establishing priorities, and establishing five year plan
- Budget reports – a $5 million budget summary done with pencil & paper
- Click here to see the 2010 County Budget Summary:
- Lack of current computer technology use by the current clerk
- The bid process and lack of transparency
- Accurate and timely reporting of the status & condition of county property
To be accountable to citizens government must have accurate, organized records.
I have concerns with:
- Clerk’s failure to attend all meetings
- The rejection of the Attorney General & Prosecuting Attorney’s opinion & advice on handling & reporting of the county’s meetings
- Apparent lack of accuracy and unbiased reporting of the minutes
- Apparent lack of understanding and disregard of the Missouri Sunshine Law
- Apparent lack of accountability and professionalism in dealing with the public and the handling of the county’s records and documents
The county clerk is involved in all phases of Gasconade County government.
As county clerk I will bring a new level of integrity, accountability and professionalism to the office to address the above concerns because the citizens of Gasconade County deserve nothing less!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermann Hearsay urges each of our readers to educate yourself regarding the issues and concerns which Sharon Meyer raises. And if you become convinced, as I am, that we need a change in the office of county clerk, then please cast your vote for Sharon Meyer. If you are a staunch Republican and have never voted for a Democrat before, I urge you to do so in the November general election. Forget about party labels, and vote for GOOD GOVERNMENT above any other consideration!
Photo Of The Day - Monday, 9/27/2010
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/27/2010
Post: 804
Date: 9/27/2010
Post: 804
 |
Rotunda Hermann City Park Photo by Dick Schaefer (Hermann Hearsay) Copyright protected. All rights reserved. |
The Beatles - "Hello Goodbye"
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/27/2010
Post: 803
Once again it's "Beatles Monday"! So many great Beatles songs from which to choose! Here's one I know you will remember .....
Date: 9/27/2010
Post: 803
Once again it's "Beatles Monday"! So many great Beatles songs from which to choose! Here's one I know you will remember .....
Laugh Of The Day - Monday, 9/27/2010
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/27/2010
Post #: 802
"I never drink water; that is the stuff that rusts pipes." ~ W. C. Fields
Post #: 802
"I never drink water; that is the stuff that rusts pipes." ~ W. C. Fields
BREAKING NEWS: Hermann Hearsay Reaches 800th Posting
Published by Jimmy Oldsun, NDRIRSRWRAFTC & Editor
Date: 9/27/2010
Post #: 801
Hermann Hearsay is proud to announce that we reached our 800th posting earlier this morning with "Quote Of The Day - Monday, 9/27/2010" which happened to be a quote by the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
With your continuing support and encouragement, we will strive to constantly upgrade our services and endeavor to bring you the best in alternative daily news and news analysis.
Post #: 801
Hermann Hearsay is proud to announce that we reached our 800th posting earlier this morning with "Quote Of The Day - Monday, 9/27/2010" which happened to be a quote by the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
With your continuing support and encouragement, we will strive to constantly upgrade our services and endeavor to bring you the best in alternative daily news and news analysis.
Quote Of The Day - Monday, 9/27/2010
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/27/2010
Post #: 800
"A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan." ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Post #: 800
"A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan." ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Bible Verse Of The Day - Monday, 9/27/2010
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/27/2010
I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. ~ Luke 12:8-9
The claims of Christ are so encompassing that anyone who understands them will realize that to engage with Christ is to be marked for life. This marking puts us in situations that we are uncomfortable with, yet Jesus gives us neither apologies nor loopholes. He wants to cement our heart with Him by admitting our allegiance to Christ with others. To shrink back in that moment is not accepted. There is no middle ground for the person who believes that Jesus Christ is the Savior for all of mankind.
Today’s commentary by: Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org
I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. ~ Luke 12:8-9
The claims of Christ are so encompassing that anyone who understands them will realize that to engage with Christ is to be marked for life. This marking puts us in situations that we are uncomfortable with, yet Jesus gives us neither apologies nor loopholes. He wants to cement our heart with Him by admitting our allegiance to Christ with others. To shrink back in that moment is not accepted. There is no middle ground for the person who believes that Jesus Christ is the Savior for all of mankind.
Today’s commentary by: Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Willie Nelson - "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" ♫ ♫♫ ♫ ♫♫ ♫ ♫♫
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/26/2010
It's "Willie Nelson Sunday" and here is one of my personal all-time favorite songs by Willie ..... "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys".
Date: 9/26/2010
It's "Willie Nelson Sunday" and here is one of my personal all-time favorite songs by Willie ..... "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys".
Bible Verse Of The Day - Sunday, 9/26/2010
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/26/2010
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? ~ Numbers 23:19
This is from the story of the prophet Balaam, who was hired by King Balak to curse the people of Israel. Instead of a curse, God would give Balaam a blessing for Israel each time he tried. Eventually King Balak was faced with a dilemma: he could either hold on to his plans or surrender them to what God was doing in his generation.
Thousands of years later Jesus would put it this way: The Kingdom of heaven is here. God is on the move. We must learn to die to our plans and follow Him. This has been the clarion call of God to humanity from Genesis to Revelations. He does not change His mind.
Today’s commentary by: Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? ~ Numbers 23:19
This is from the story of the prophet Balaam, who was hired by King Balak to curse the people of Israel. Instead of a curse, God would give Balaam a blessing for Israel each time he tried. Eventually King Balak was faced with a dilemma: he could either hold on to his plans or surrender them to what God was doing in his generation.
Thousands of years later Jesus would put it this way: The Kingdom of heaven is here. God is on the move. We must learn to die to our plans and follow Him. This has been the clarion call of God to humanity from Genesis to Revelations. He does not change His mind.
Today’s commentary by: Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org
Saturday, September 25, 2010
A. E. Newman Delivers Fiery Stump Speech On Courthouse Steps
Published by Dick Schaefer, Award-winning, Unpaid, Part-time Contributing Writer; Amateur Investigative Reporter; and Aspiring Photo-journalist
Date: 9/25/2010
It was 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, 9/23 and not much was going on at the Gasconade County Courthouse. The County Commission had cancelled their weekly meeting because County Clerk Lietzow was in Jefferson City attending an annual "County Clerk Convention". (You gotta wonder whether annual "County Clerk Conventions" are even necessary and whether the money Gasconade County spends each year on trip expenses can even be justified. But I digress.)
The story on this particular Thursday morning was A. E. Newman's fiery political stump speech delivered on the steps leading up to the front entrance of the courthouse. Hermann Hearsay has previously reported that A. E. Newman of Bland is running for the office of Southern District Associate Commissioner of Gasconade County. Newman will be facing off against incumbent, Jerry Lairmore of Owensville, in the November 6, 2012 general election.
Here is the text of Newman's speech which was delivered from the courthouse steps to approximately twenty or so citizens who were gathered around to hear it .....
"My fellow citizens and countrymen -
Thank you for coming out on this glorious September morning! As you may know, my name is A. E. Newman. I'm from Bland, and I'm running for Southern District Associate Commissioner. I'm here this morning to point out to my fellow citizens that our County Commission has CANCELLED their regular weekly meeting this morning.
Perhaps you didn't know that! Why should you? You are all busy people and you have your own personal affairs to attend to. Like most citizens of Gasconade County, you expect your elected representatives to attend to the business affairs of the county. Well my friends, today they aren't! And the reason they aren't attending to the affairs of the county is that County Clerk Lesa Lietzow is attending a convention of county clerks in Jefferson City. I guess Clerk Lietzow's absence made for a convenient excuse to CANCEL today's meeting altogether!
Now I ask you these questions:
Ask not what your COUNTY can do for you. Rather, ask what you can do for your COUNTY! Right now, your COUNTY needs for you to show a couple county commissioners and a county clerk the exit door! Vote for Jerry Spurgeon to replace Ron Jost. Vote for Sharon Meyer to replace Lesa Lietzow. And finally, please ask your friends and relatives who live in the southern district of our county to vote for A. E. Newman to replace Jerry Lairmore!"
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| A. E. Newman Independent Candidate Southern District Assoc. Commissioner |
It was 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, 9/23 and not much was going on at the Gasconade County Courthouse. The County Commission had cancelled their weekly meeting because County Clerk Lietzow was in Jefferson City attending an annual "County Clerk Convention". (You gotta wonder whether annual "County Clerk Conventions" are even necessary and whether the money Gasconade County spends each year on trip expenses can even be justified. But I digress.)
The story on this particular Thursday morning was A. E. Newman's fiery political stump speech delivered on the steps leading up to the front entrance of the courthouse. Hermann Hearsay has previously reported that A. E. Newman of Bland is running for the office of Southern District Associate Commissioner of Gasconade County. Newman will be facing off against incumbent, Jerry Lairmore of Owensville, in the November 6, 2012 general election.
Here is the text of Newman's speech which was delivered from the courthouse steps to approximately twenty or so citizens who were gathered around to hear it .....
"My fellow citizens and countrymen -
Thank you for coming out on this glorious September morning! As you may know, my name is A. E. Newman. I'm from Bland, and I'm running for Southern District Associate Commissioner. I'm here this morning to point out to my fellow citizens that our County Commission has CANCELLED their regular weekly meeting this morning.
Perhaps you didn't know that! Why should you? You are all busy people and you have your own personal affairs to attend to. Like most citizens of Gasconade County, you expect your elected representatives to attend to the business affairs of the county. Well my friends, today they aren't! And the reason they aren't attending to the affairs of the county is that County Clerk Lesa Lietzow is attending a convention of county clerks in Jefferson City. I guess Clerk Lietzow's absence made for a convenient excuse to CANCEL today's meeting altogether!
Now I ask you these questions:
- Do you think it might have been possible for Presiding Commissioner Ron Jost to reschedule the regular weekly meeting for another day this week? But he didn't! Guess he didn't really want to!
- Do you think Southern District Associate Commissioner Jerry Lairmore could have pressed Jost to hold a meeting on another day this week or to just go ahead with the meeting in Clerk Lietzow's absence? Afterall Commissioner Lairmore (and Jost) have been quite content to meet at the Drake Maintenance Shed without requiring the presence of the County Clerk to record meeting minutes!
- What county business is being postponed today? The Missouri State Auditor (Susan Montee) has been auditing Gasconade County all summer long. Finally the comprehensive audit report (including the portion conducted by a private CPA firm) is available to our county officials. But the public will not be able to see the report until our county commissioners provide a response back to Susan Montee's office. Only then will the final audit report be posted at the Auditor's website, http://www.auditor.mo.gov/. Now folks, this report represents a report card on Gasconade County government. And I contend that some of our county officials don't want you to see the report until after the November 3rd general election. Also my friends, the County Commission SHOULD BE discussing the current status of year-to-date spending vs. the 2010 budget. I dare say that, once again, it doesn't look pretty! The County Commission SHOULD ALSO BE working on a plan to preserve and restore this fine historical courthouse you see before you! The $1,000 annual maintenance budget ain't getting the job done! Commissioners Jost and Lairmore are DELAYING any serious work on the county's courthouse and the need for expanded office space! Why are they negligent in their responsibilities to you the citizens? Could it be that certain "monied interests" in Owensville STILL want the county seat to be relocated to Owensville so they can sell off some very marginal real estate to Gasconade County?
- How do other county commissions conduct their official business? Well I haven't checked on a lot of other counties, but I can tell you this much ...... the Montgomery County Commissioners are in official open session on Monday and Thursday each week from 9 to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. In other words, those Montgomery County commissioners meet together to conduct the business of Montgomery County approximately twelve (12) hours per week while our commissioners here in Gasconade County meet in official open session about one (1) or two (2) hours per week ..... and sometimes (like this week) they even find bogus reasons for cancelling their weekly meeting altogether! What are the Montgomery County commissioners doing that our Gasconade County commissioners SHOULD BE DOING? Perhaps we need to find out!
Ask not what your COUNTY can do for you. Rather, ask what you can do for your COUNTY! Right now, your COUNTY needs for you to show a couple county commissioners and a county clerk the exit door! Vote for Jerry Spurgeon to replace Ron Jost. Vote for Sharon Meyer to replace Lesa Lietzow. And finally, please ask your friends and relatives who live in the southern district of our county to vote for A. E. Newman to replace Jerry Lairmore!"
Patsy Cline - "Strange" ♫ ♫♫ ♫ ♫♫ ♫ ♫♫
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/25/2010
It's "Patsy Cline Saturday". Here's Patsy singing one of her songs that you rarely hear any longer . It's called "Strange" .....
Date: 9/25/2010
It's "Patsy Cline Saturday". Here's Patsy singing one of her songs that you rarely hear any longer . It's called "Strange" .....
Laugh Of The Day - Saturday, 9/25/2010
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/25/2010
Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam star in "Horse Hare" .....
Date: 9/25/2010
Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam star in "Horse Hare" .....
Quote Of The Day - Saturday, 9/25/2010
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/25/2010
"Every time the government grows we lose more of who we are." ~ Glenn Beck
"Every time the government grows we lose more of who we are." ~ Glenn Beck
Bible Verse Of The Day - Saturday, 9/25/2010
Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor
Date: 9/25/2010
My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. ~ Psalm 119:28
How do we handle depression? Much of our advertising and media bombard us with images of happy people. This can become the unspoken “ideal life”. So when we encounter emotions that may contradict this imagery we find ourselves unprepared. But the Scripture sees sorrow as a part of the human condition. Many of the Psalms deal with feelings of overwhelming depression. And as the Bible addresses these feelings we find that it gives us the guide to navigate through sorrow – the promises of Scripture itself. God’s word assures us in our sorrow and gives us lighthouses of hope to help us navigate through the dark moments of our soul.
Today’s commentary by: Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org
My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. ~ Psalm 119:28
How do we handle depression? Much of our advertising and media bombard us with images of happy people. This can become the unspoken “ideal life”. So when we encounter emotions that may contradict this imagery we find ourselves unprepared. But the Scripture sees sorrow as a part of the human condition. Many of the Psalms deal with feelings of overwhelming depression. And as the Bible addresses these feelings we find that it gives us the guide to navigate through sorrow – the promises of Scripture itself. God’s word assures us in our sorrow and gives us lighthouses of hope to help us navigate through the dark moments of our soul.
Today’s commentary by: Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org
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