Jackson Audit Committee Working to Improve Process

The Jackson County Audit Committee is working with county offices to improve their processes.

Mayor Randy Heady said going over last year’s audit findings has been a learning experience for many county officials.

“We kind of find out that you actually have somebody that is looking over you, that’s keeping an eye on you, and it kind of holds everyone accountable,” Heady said. “For me, my learning experience has been that we need to try to get this stuff cleaned up because they’re going to take that and report that back. We ought to be doing everything we can to run the office the way it ought to be run.”

Commissioner Jim Morgan gave a brief report on the Audit Committee’s work at last week’s Board of Commissioner’s meeting. Heady said the committee is working with every county office that had a finding on last year’s audit, including the County Mayor’s office.

“(Morgan) had met with all the office holders that had findings that the committee had, not just him,” Heady said. “Every office was putting things in place to try to clean up the audit findings. I know they met with the County Clerk’s office, they had several findings. And then the Sheriff’s office and my office. Those had to do with purchasing and procedures. The other office was the Trustees, and the Schools had one finding, but they’ve got that cleaned up, and that shouldn’t happen anymore.”

As the Audit Committee continues its work with the county offices, Heady said he looks forward to seeing continued progress. He said, as elected officials, he and other officials should be held to a high standard.

“It’s my hope that this makes people aware if we are doing our job and getting the word out there,” Heady said. “We are elected by the people, and the people should expect us to do the job the way it ought to be done according to the law and what is in the best interest of the people we represent. If we’re not doing the job we ought to be doing the way it should be done, then, to be quite honest, you should be trying to find someone who can do it the way it ought to be done. We are entrusted by the people when we are elected to do that which is right and uphold the Constitution of the State of Tennessee while upholding the Constitution of the United States of America. We take an oath to do that before we take office.”

Heady said the written reports from the Audit Committee would be collected and disseminated at the next Board of Commissioners meeting on July 20.