KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new audit reveals that Jackson County hasn't used COMBAT tax funds appropriately during the last few years.
The misappropriation of funds allegedly happened during the administrations of former county executive Mike Sanders, who is in federal prison for misusing campaign funds, and current Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, who now oversees COMBAT, describes the audit's findings as a case of "sloppy budgeting."
"This should disturb anyone in any government in any town in America when those checks and balances are not followed," Peters Baker said.
The audit, which was released early Wednesday, came at the request of Peters Baker after she took control of COMBAT at the request of the Jackson County Legislature.
White fought hard against the move, spending more than $200,000 in taxpayer money mounting a legal battle.
"It’s not just the money that was spent," Peters Baker said. "It was over a year of keeping COMBAT sort of held hostage so it couldn’t carry out its function during that year either."
White's office responded to the allegations on Wednesday, saying that the office was not provided a copy of the report before it was released to the public and was still reviewing the audit.
"However, it is important to note that we have already identified concerning factual inaccuracies within the report," spokeswoman Marshanna Smith said in an email to 41 Action News. "While we would have preferred to have been involved prior to (Wednesday’s) release, so that we could have helped ensure inaccurate information was not disseminated, we remain hopeful that the inaccuracies within this report will be corrected immediately."
Auditors discovered money that was supposed to go for anti-drug and anti-crime initiatives instead went to cover to salaries as well as phone and car allowances for employees within White's office.
The audit also revealed the county's finance department would under-budget COMBAT's revenue, so there would be extra funds available. That money would then be used by other departments.
"This is not an honest way to do things," Jackson County Legislator Jalen Anderson, who represents the 1st District-at-large, said. "This is not the right way to do things."
Auditors also found that more than $2 million was used to fix doors at the Jackson County Jail, even though officials with COMBAT and lawmakers were never told about it.
"It does damage the outlook that people have on a program that can do so much good for the community itself," Anderson said.
The audit provided a number of recommendations that Peters Baker is working to implement, including hiring three program monitors.
"It is an important process for us to know well who is struggling to spend the COMBAT dollars in the way they thought they could, who needs help and who simply needs to be defunded," Peters Baker said.
The Missouri State Auditor's office is conducting its own review of the combat.
