Annual audit meeting scheduled in Shoshone County

WALLACE –– The results of a special forensic audit are reportedly right around the corner, but the Shoshone County Commissioners will review the county’s annual audit first.  

A meeting between the commissioners and auditors from Moscow firm Hayden Ross Pllc. is scheduled for Monday to discuss the county’s annual financial report, which was finalized on June 30.  

According to the commissioners, the forensic audit, being handled by Eide Bailly LLP., couldn’t be completed until the county finalized its annual budget. The purpose of this special audit is to determine where the county reportedly overspent millions of dollars over the previous years.  

Originally believed to be $3 million, during a recent budget workshop, Commissioner Jeff Zimmerman mentioned that the shortfall may be less than that.  

The board has been discussing the forensic audit for several months, following the discovery of the shortfall as they worked to set the county’s annual budget. However, in November of 2023, they agreed to pay Eide Bailly $11,500 to conduct the additional audit.  

Residents have anxiously been awaiting the results, including the county’s employees who have had to sit on their hands as discussions over cost-saving measures, including a potential wage freeze, have been tossed around.  

Turnover at the courthouse also delayed some of the work, as former county clerk Tamie Lewis-Eberhard retired, and Peggy White was appointed to fill her spot temporarily. Other changes, including some with the auditors themselves, have also slowed down the process.  

“We have just had a heck of a time with finishing the regular county audit, due to the clerk’s auditor leaving last year, and the clerk leaving this year,” Zimmerman said. “The Eide Bailly revenue audit/review was hinged upon that being completed. The BOCC is eagerly waiting as well.”  

The Shoshone County Commissioner will review their annual audit and the Shoshone County Ambulance Service District’s annual audit on Monday, July 15, at 9 a.m. at the Shoshone County Courthouse.