The Columbus City Council recently completed an internal audit on the finance department, uncovering some concerning findings. The audit, initiated back in July, aimed to evaluate the financial transactions and processes within the department. After five months of investigation, the audit report revealed significant discrepancies and questionable practices.
One of the most alarming discoveries in the audit was the presence of unprocessed checks dating as far back as 2006. Business owners who submitted checks to renew their licenses found that the payments were never deposited into the bank. Many of these checks were considered stale and had been forgotten over the years. Not only did this apply to business licenses, but other areas such as pawn shop ownership were also affected.
City council members were shocked by the findings, describing them as a grave case of negligence. The investigation raised concerns about accountability and internal controls within the finance department. It is clear that someone or a group of individuals may be held responsible for these oversights.
However, the director of finance, Angelica Alexander, disputed some of the claims made in the audit. She disagreed…
