Latest Weather Blog
Killian may have violated ethics code when buying tires from mayor's son; other issues highlighted in audit
Related Story
KILLIAN — The town of Killian may have violated the state code of ethics by purchasing tires from a business owned by a former mayor’s son, according to an audit released Monday.
The independent review, released by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, covered the year ending June 30, 2024. Auditors found the town used public money to buy tires from the mayor’s son’s company without evidence of competitive bidding or conflict-of-interest disclosures — a violation of the Louisiana Code of Governmental Ethics.
At the time of the purchase, Ronnie Sharp was mayor.
Current Mayor Caleb Atwell, who has been in office for less than a year, said the problems occurred under the previous administration.
“All of this stuff that happened, happened under the previous administration, and if the budget and the audits had been done on time, this actually was something that really should have been addressed and brought to light maybe a year ago,” Atwell said.
The auditors' advice to the town: follow the state's ethics guidelines.
The audit also said that six of the town’s eight discrepancies found recently were repeated from the previous year’s report. Auditors said Killian lacked supporting documentation for several expenses, failed to properly separate accounting duties, and did not have adequate controls to track and monitor its assets.
The report also noted the town did not have sufficient procedures for storing, issuing, and accounting for traffic tickets and citations, or for tracking traffic fines.
To address the disorganization, auditors recommended the town implement procedures to ensure all capital assets are properly tagged and regularly inventoried.
In addition, the town failed to file its financial statements on time and did not amend its general fund budget when revenues and expenditures were off target by more than 5 percent.
“The Town should monitor its budget to actual revenues and expenditures on a monthly basis and amend the budget to be in compliance with state statutes as necessary,” the audit recommended.
Atwell said his administration has worked to correct those issues since taking office.
“It only took us 30 days to get off of the Legislative Auditor’s non-compliance list,” Atwell said. “We’re trying to get more resources for the town and start bringing back some of the services.”
The full audit can be read here.
News
