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By Buzz Trexler

Star Correspondent

Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby issued a statement Thursday saying the county “must get our financial house in order” and needs to be “beyond reproach.”

“Working together, we have changed the conversation about Carter County by putting our best foot forward and partnering with the state on initiatives that will be a blessing to Carter County and the broader region,” Woodby said. “That said, we must get our financial house in order to serve our citizens in a way that is beyond reproach.”

Woodby issued the statement in response to the latest audit from the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury that was critical of the county’s financial management for a second year in a row.

“Carter County officials should recognize that these audit results are not acceptable,” Comptroller of the Treasury Jason E. Mumpower said in the release. “The county had 11 findings last year and 10 this year, which is significantly more than the average Tennessee county. County Commissioners, the Financial Management Committee, and the Audit Committee should exercise their authority to provide oversight and accountability.”

The state report cited several deficiencies in the Office of Finance Director, which included a failure to properly maintain accounting records; a failure to hold spending within the limits authorized by the County Commission; being deficient in the posting of journal entries; not maintaining capital asset records properly; and not properly placing amounts withheld from contractor payments in an escrow account.

“As mayor, I do not have authority over the Office of the Finance Director, but I am working with Comptroller Mumpower, our Audit Committee, Financial Management Committee, and County Commission to fix it,” Woodby said. “We owe our friends and neighbors nothing but the highest standards of stewardship and accountability. We will announce next steps soon to investigate what has happened and determine how it will be corrected going forward. I am confident that together we can meet the State’s expected standards and make it one more addition to our list of achievements.” 

Carter County Finance Director Carolyn Watson said in an email earlier this week that the findings did not reflect “the hard work and dedication that our current finance team exhibits as we continue to improve the financial operations in Carter County.”

“We knew that because some of the findings originated from several years ago it would take more than one year to get all the problems resolved,” Watson said, adding that the department is working toward that process and has made “significant improvements over the past year but still have more to accomplish.”