ANNUAL AUDIT OF CAPE COUNTY COMPLETED

JACKSON -- The Cape Girardeau County Commission Thursday reviewed the findings of an audit report for 1993, completed by the Schott and Van De Ven accounting firm.

William R. Schott, who conducted part of the audit, offered several recommendations to the commission and discussed details of the audit.

Although Cape Girardeau County's general revenue budget is about $5.4 million and its road and bridge budget is nearly $1.8 million, Schott reported that in all, nearly $23 million in funds were handled last year under the auspices of county government.

That figure includes various earmarked taxes that are collected from property tax levies for such things as the county health department, mental health and the sheltered workshop, as well as state and federal funds that are taken in.

"Under audit rules, we have to account for everything," Schott explained.

Cape County Auditor H. Weldon Macke said he may begin including budgets from the various entities that receive tax revenues with the county's 1995 budget, to show all funds used in the county.

As a 2nd-class county, Cape County has an auditor and isn't regularly audited by the state auditor's office as 3rd- and 4th- class counties are.

But because the county receives more than $100,000 in federal funds, an outside audit is required, Macke said.

"Every state and federal government agency we deal with gets a copy of the audit," he said.

"They do make certain recommendations in the audit, but most of what we get is just to answer what the federal government wants done."

One of the recommendations this year is that the county set up a procedure to make sure it is properly reimbursed for its Enhanced 911 telephone system. Funds are collected in monthly telephone bills by Southwestern Bell and distributed to the county periodically.