Auditor: Greene County court gets second-highest rating

The 31st Judicial Circuit Court in Greene County received the second-highest mark in an audit report from Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway’s office.

The “good” rating for the court operations is short of the top level of “excellent.” The audit took issue with excessive balances for certain funds, according to a news release.

For example, a fund supported by civil case filing fees had a balance of more than $980,000, with about $80,000 spent, as of Dec. 31, 2018. Court officials say the fund balance is being invested to upgrade courtrooms and to support a new circuit judge position and the Family Treatment Court program.

A separate release from the 31st Judicial Circuit indicates the court processing more than $9.4 million in fees and deposits during 2018.

“We are very proud of the manner in which the financial, operational and legal business is conducted in the 31st Judicial Circuit,” Presiding Judge Michael Cordonnier said in the release. “While it is no surprise to us, it is certainly gratifying to learn and confirm that there were no significant deficiencies detected in the audit.”

Separately, Galloway’s office this summer started an audit of Greene County’s government. It focuses on a nearly 2-year-old whistleblower complaint involving former Greene County Presiding Commissioner Bob Cirtin. He allegedly asked county employees to spend work time promoting the Invest in Greene County Political Action Committee for the county’s half-cent general revenue sales tax that was approved in 2017, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.