Auditor gives Whitley Sheriff’s office clean financial bill of health

Sheriff Colan Harrell’s office recently received a clean audit report from the state auditor’s office.

The Whitley County Sheriff’s Department has received a clean financial bill of health following a recent audit of its 2015 tax settlement.

“The auditor noted no instances of noncompliance. The auditor also noted no matters involving internal control over financial reporting and its operation that were considered to be material weaknesses,” Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts Mike Harmon’s office wrote in a press release Monday.

“The sheriff’s financial statement fairly presents the taxes charged, credited and paid, for the period, April 16, 2015 through April 15, 2016 in conformity with the regulatory basis of accounting.”

The auditor noted that the sheriff’s settlement is prepared on the regulatory basis, which is the same reporting methodology followed for all 120 sheriff settlements in Kentucky.

The sheriff’s responsibilities include collecting property taxes, providing law enforcement and performing services for the county fiscal court and courts of justice. The Whitley County Sheriff’s office is funded through statutory commissions and fees collected in conjunction with these duties, in addition to contributions from the Whitley County Fiscal Court.

The sheriff collected $8,135,023 in 2015 taxes, retaining commissions of $336,870 to operate his office, according to the audit.

The sheriff distributed 2015 taxes of $7,783,295 to districts. Taxes of $77 are due to the districts from the sheriff and refunds of $73 are due to the sheriff from the taxing districts.

The auditor issues two sheriff’s reports each year: one reporting on the audit of the sheriff’s tax account, and the other report on the audit of the fee account used to operate the office.

Harrell’s office also received a clean bill of health on its 2015 fee audit, which was released in late December.