|
State law permits the Circuit Clerk to invest money
that the office is holding.
The interest from these investments is paid into the
“Special Interest Fund.” This Fund can be used to pay
certain expenses of the Circuit Clerk’s office.
If that money isn’t used for the clerk’s office’s
expenses it is supposed to be paid to the City.
In 2005, our state auditor, Claire McCaskill (now
Senator McCaskill) audited this Fund.
This is what she found:
-In February, 2005 the current Circuit Clerk was
holding $8.8 million
from old civil cases and
$644,000 from old
child support cases which had not been distributed in the
prior administration.
This money earned interest, which was paid into the
Special Interest Fund.
-From June, 2001 until the date of the audit (February
28, 2005) the current Circuit Clerk
had not turned over
the balance in the Special Interest Fund to the City as
required by law.
-During the period of July 1, 2002
through
February 28, 2005, the current Circuit Clerk
spent $970,675.00 of the interest money in the Fund.
-The current Circuit Clerk
did not disclose to
the public what he used that money for.
The auditor said, “The failure to prepare a budget
restricts the information available to the city, the court,
and the citizens of
St. Louis about the fund, and
prevents consideration of all available resources . . .”
The Auditor also recommended that the Circuit Clerk
turn over the millions of dollars that were in the account
from the previous administration to the State to be
distributed through its Unclaimed Property department.
The Circuit Clerk refused.
Instead, the Circuit Clerk continues to use interest
from these millions of dollars to run the Clerk’s office,
but does not include
this money in his budget while at the same time claiming
that he has saved the City millions of dollars.
The taxpayers of
St. Louis
are entitled to full disclosure regarding the money that
comes into the Circuit Clerk’s hands.
We aren’t getting that disclosure now. >read
more
|
