The latest report from the Washington State Auditor’s Office on the Snohomish Health District included no major problems in its review of the agency’s financial accountability.
This is the eighteenth year in a row that the report included no findings on the public health agency.
“That’s one of the things we’re quite proud of,” said Don Peterson, business manager for the health district. “It shows the diligence of the staff to pay a lot of attention to the financial issues of the organization.”
The report reviewed the public health agency’s books for the 2007 calendar year and included a review of accountability for public resources and compliance with laws and regulations.
The auditor’s report, however, did include a management letter noting some procedures that could be changed.
The public heath agency could tighten up safeguards against the loss of what it called “small and attractive” assets.
A spot check of 52 pieces of equipment showed 15 items were missing and eight were not properly identified as belonging to the public health agency. The report said the missing items were valued at $7,824.
Two computers that the health district had sent to a recycler had not been taken off its inventory, Peterson said. The amount listed in the report is what the computers cost when they were new, he said.
The items listed as not being properly identified are small walkie talkies that are distributed in safety kits, Peterson said.
“Rather than tag those, we’ll probably make a note of the locations” and a master list of where they are being stored, he said.
The auditor’s office also suggested that the health district replace its current system of having more than one cashier working out of a single cash drawer to one where each cashier has a separate drawer, Peterson said. That change is expected to be made by March 31.
The audit reports can include three types of recommendations.
The most serious is a finding, something that the auditor’s office feels is serious and need to be corrected, Peterson said. The other two are a recommendation on relatively minor suggested policy change and a management letter that raises items that, if not fixed, could result in a finding, he said.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486, salyer@heraldnet.com.
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