Galesburg, IL – Knox County is speeding up its annual audit of the County Recorder's office. The move follows allegations that Recorder Paula Monzo misappropriated thousands of dollars from the County's Democratic Party, for which she's the treasurer.
The county's fiscal year ended Monday. Knox County Public Information Officer Gary Tomlin says the county's auditing firm has been asked to come in next week to conduct the Recorder's audit immediately, even though they weren't scheduled to begin until a few months from now.
Tomlin says given recent allegations, it's a necessary precaution.
"We're very confident everything's fine," says Tomlin. "We have good financial controls, we have no reason to feel like we have a problem, but with the circumstances being what they are, we have to take a look."
Monzo has been the Knox County Recorder since Dec. 1 of last year. Her position as Knox County Democratic Party chair is seperate of her responsibilities as Recorder.
Tomlin is not sure how long it will take to complete the audit. He estimates it should cost a little less than $1,000 if the auditing firm does not find anything unusual.