Pioneer Press: Editorial calls for State Auditor to review Maplewood finances (2nd update)

Pioneer Press Thu, 27 Mar 2008
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MAPLEWOOD, MEET AUDITOR

Minnesota's state auditor is charged with overseeing more than $20 billion spent each year by local governments. The city of Maplewood is one such local government, and it spends in the neighborhood of $39 million per year for such things as streets and parks and fire protection and police.

We would like the current state auditor, Rebecca Otto, and the Maplewood city government to get to know each other.

A story in the Pioneer Press this week by reporters Tad Vezner and Elizabeth Mohr raised important questions about the management of public funds by Maplewood city officials. The piece focused on the now-departed city manager, Greg Copeland, and reported that budgetary record-keeping is a mess. This may be a question of bad paperwork. It may be worse. We need to know.

In addition to the budget issues, Copeland presided over a large turnover followed by a series of lawsuits. The departure of the finance director and two other veteran employees meant day-to-day finance work "did not get completed in a timely manner,'' the acting city manager, Chuck Ahl, told reporters.

Auditor Otto's numbers-crunchers can figure out if the taxpayers' money is being handled honestly and appropriately, and if the city is being administered in an open and honest manner.

Whatever she finds will anger someone. This is a politically polarized city that once asked a respected ethics expert to come in and help them get along, and then trashed him when he suggested they could be a little nicer to each other.

[update 3/28 11:30AM]

Apparently Mr. Hjelle is of like mind.

Mr. Nephew has posted an example of Data Practices requests issued by Mr. Hjelle since the finance article. It includes:

I will also advise the city that I will be requesting a forensic audit of the city by an outside body. Any ommissions from this request will be evidenced. I also assume that the City has saved ALL documents in its' possession and will continue to do so. [emphasis added]

[Update 2: 3/28 2:30 PM]

Mr. Hjelle's concern about documents brings to mind the last time we heard about City documents (from the Copeland settlement agreement):



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