Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-10-07
SUPERVISION OF
ACCOUNTING FOR
COUNTIES. ASKED
Report Of Grand Jury on the
Situation in Kootenai
County May Result in
Legislation.

state supervision of county account
ing in Idaho will probably be one of
the most important issues of legisla-
ton agitatcd before the next Idaho
legislature as a result of the disclos-
ures made in the indictments return
ed against former and present Off
Gals of Kootenai county. No less than
g. true bills were returned involving
four officials. The grand jury when
returned the indictments made scath-
ing arraignment of the methods and
system followed in handling county ac-
counts. The indictments were later
dismissed on account of the statute or
limitations.
The special report of the grand jury
on it's finding setting forth the most
glazing defects follows;
I'VE find Kootenai county has
through the acts of its assessors and
tax collectors lost in the aggregate
enormous sums of money.
"To show how the affairs of the
county have been handled by some of
its officers it is only necessary to re-
fer to receipt No. 1878 Of 1911. This
shows the proper amount of taxes due
Kootenai county on a certain piece OF
property at the time OF payment was
S6S.27. \ deput.- making out the re-
ceipt however, not only reduced the
taxes to S62.06. but also mutilated the
tax rolls, with the evident intent OF
making it appear that the taxes paid
in reality on the date which is shown
in the receipt.
PENCIL RECORDS OBLlTERATED.
The record showing such liberality
on the part of the tax collectors Of
flee was made by a deputy in the as
SCISSORS office. The deputy above men
toned issued hundreds o. receipts for
personal property taxes Of 1911 that
were not in harmony with the records
in the tax assessors office. These
: transactions aggregate a loss of $1,000
to the county.
while tie records OF transactions
show a certain amount of taxes as be
ing due to the county; they also show
under the space provided for remarks
the actual amounts received in each
instance by the tax collector. These
figures in the remarks column were
made in pencil and we're afterwards
obliterated, but not sufficiently so that
the name could not be deciphered in a
great many cases.
RECEIPTS WITHOUT COST.
1T is interesting Ill lllS COHiltCtlOi
to note that tho tax collector during
1911 issued three different receipts for
the same taxes. Two Of these were cor
rect, and the third. which was used
for the purpose of ascertaining the
amount IF money payable to the county
by the taXrolls, was incorrect.
IF. e. Wannacou. assessor; w. w
Leeper, senior deputy, and Ray Thomp
~ n tho AZ
las Tie company for taxes on real
property to the amount of $920 with
out collecting money for said taxes.
When the turnover was made at the
end of the year this $500 vas made out
of personal property taxes of $500
which they had on hand and which had
not been properly accou! ted for.
FORCED TIC RETURN SWAG.
"The receipts issued tho Atlas Tie
company above referred 10 were found
Is months afterward by Il following
administration. The Wannacott .ad
ministraton collected these taxes, cx
ceeding 5000. from the Atlas Tie com
pany two months after they ceased to
be officers of rootenai county, held
1t in their hands for years, but have
recently burned il over to the coun-
ty treasurer, and then only at the in
vitation of this grand jury.
we find the system of accounting
and book keeping in th1 assessors Of
flee has been irregular, inefficient and
not in keeping with the laws of tho
state; that in many instances forced
balances have been made: and for
that reason this audit has been re. rd-
ed to the extent of three or four
times what it should be, thereby caus-
ing extra expense.
1--WE find from books of the county
assessors Office that they arc mutt
lated by erasurcs changes of receipts
from the field report, and many of
them gone ana the leaves removed. so
that it il impossible to make a correct
audit: but we find enough existing
errors to show conclusively the intent
to defraud and that thereby Kootenai
county has lost large sums of money.
I'VE find that said auditor has been
very neglirent in the performance of
his duty as auditor by neglecting to
audit the books of all other offices of
the county as required by law and we
recommend that the county commits
sioners bring action on the bond of
the auditor Tor the extra cost of this
audit.
I'VE find many evidences that koo-
tenai county has lost largo sums of
money from the neglect of the audi
tor to enter on his reception book
proper charges of moneys coming into
his office from different sources.
I've find the audit now being made
of the county records by Mr.. Rcinhard
TO he very thorough and complete as
far as it has been finished, but. on ac-
count OF the disappearance OF nearly
al the personal property tax receipts
IN 1913, and no reception in 1905, 1909