A state audit of Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster’s office docked points for perceived conflicts of interest and personnel policies.
Conducted by Deputy State Auditor Harry Otto, the
report released today gave Koster’s office an overall “fair” grade, the second-lowest on a four-point scale. The grade indicates the entity needs to improve in several areas.
Lobbyist activityAccording to the audit, Koster recently acknowledged accepting campaign contributions and other gifts from companies under investigation by his office following a
New York Times article looking into the activity late last year.
In November, Koster - Democratic candidate for governor in 2016 - pledged to no longer take contributions from people or companies being investigated by his office either currently or within the past 90 days. However, the audit found no directive has yet been formalized as of February.
The auditor’s office recommended Koster adopt written polices and procedures to review potential conflicts of interest.
In response, the attorney general’s office said a better solution would be to “keep campaign business out of the office” because companies being investigated could try to secure favorable outcomes with donations.
Salary solutionsThe audit found the attorney general’s office provided salary increases to several employees that were not offered to other state workers.
According to the audit, salaries at the attorney general’s office increased to $17.9 million in fiscal 2014 from $16.8 million in 2013 and $16 million in 2012. As of June 30, 2014, the office employed 348.
Otto said raises were granted for a variety of reasons, but the office lacked a cumulative record of the actions.
Of 42 raises reviewed, 24, or 57 percent, appeared reasonable, according to the audit.
Responding to a recommendation the office discontinue significantly overpaying, Koster’s office said the raises were well deserved for exceptional work performance.
“The AGO is committed to providing top-quality legal service to the people of this state. Yet it is sometimes difficult to attract and retain the talented attorneys and staff necessary to fulfill our mission,” the response reads. “In an effort to improve our recruitment and retention, the AGO has reduced the size of the office and reinvested the savings by offering higher salaries to our remaining personnel, both in across-the-board pay increases and through targeted, merit-based raises.”[[In-content Ad]]
