An audit of Wayne County released by State Auditor Nicole Galloway has identified several concerns with county government operations and has given a rating of “fair.” Wayne County is located in southeast Missouri. “Government officials are responsible for safeguarding taxpayer dollars. In Wayne County, our audit found several instances where safeguards were not in place, […]
Tag: state law
Grundy R-5 Board of Education approves policy updates; announces dates of holiday break and Christmas Concert
Board candidate filing dates have been set for the Grundy R-5 School District subject to the regular election on April 5, 2022. The filing period opens on December 7 and closes on December 28, as stipulated in the new state law. Candidate filing at the school office in Galt can be done from 7:30 to […]
Jamesport Tri-County Board of Education sets filing dates for April election; approves policy updates from Missouri School Boards Association
The Jamesport Tri-County R-7 Board of Education on November 10 set the dates for filing for the board election on April 5, 2022. Filing can be done from December 7 through 28 from 7:45 in the morning to 3:45 in the afternoon Monday through Friday. The office will be closed on days school is not […]
Audio: Missouri Supreme Court deciding whether local leaders can spend public money on ballot measures
The Missouri Supreme Court is considering whether local elected officials should be banned from spending public money to campaign in support of or opposition to candidates and ballot measures. Some St. Louis County area elected officials filed a lawsuit in 2019 saying the state law violates the free speech rights of local leaders. Attorney Paul […]
Smithfield withdraws request for CAFO permits environmentalists criticized as too lax
(Missouri Independent) – The global meat producer operating some of Missouri’s largest industrial hog operations has withdrawn requests to convert 10 of its permits to what environmental groups say would be more lenient ones. Smithfield Foods Inc., which has a history of environmental violations in Missouri, operates some of the largest concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, in the […]
Audio: Case adding greater protections for rape survivors heads to Missouri Supreme Court
A case heads to the Missouri Supreme Court this week about a state law adding greater protections for sexual assault survivors. The Missouri Supreme Court will hear a case Tuesday about a 2020 law known as the “Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights”. The law streamlines the testing and tracking of rape kits […]
Missouri State Auditor makes recommendations to improve accountability and transparency in Maries County
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released an audit of Maries County, located in central Missouri. The report, which gave the county an overall performance rating of “good,” recommends several changes to policies and procedures to improve accountability and transparency for taxpayers. The most recent previous audit of Maries County was completed in 2017, with the county receiving an […]
Gallatin Board of Aldermen approve ordinances, choose not to adjust sewer charges for additional water usage
The Gallatin Board of Aldermen on October 25, 2021, approved two ordinances, which amended the city code and entered into a contract. A section of the city code was amended relating to alcoholic beverages. It now says “all opening and closing days and hours for a license issued…shall be in accordance with the provisions of […]
Missouri State Auditor releases audit results of Greene County Collector
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released an audit of the Greene County Collector. Missouri law requires an audit to be performed when a vacancy occurs in a county collector’s office. The previous collector resigned from the office in February and a new collector was appointed on March 1. The audit, which gave the office a rating […]
Missouri Attorney General Joins fight against Jefferson County Health Department and student quarantine rules
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed an amicus brief in Shannon Otto v. Jefferson County Health Department, fighting student quarantine rules put in place by the Jefferson County Department of Health. The brief argues that the quarantine rules fall under the new state law limiting health authorities’ power to enact mandates and that the rules […]
Missouri State Auditor releases closeout report for Coronado Drive Transportation Development District in Blue Springs
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today issued the closeout audit of the Coronado Drive Transportation Development District (TDD), located in Blue Springs. State law requires an audit of a TDD prior to moving forward with dissolution. The Coronado Drive TDD was established in 2009 by a vote of qualified voters in the district. The TDD was […]
Trenton City Council approves ordinances and six motions at Monday evening meeting
Actions taken Monday night by the Trenton City Council include approval of two ordinances and six motions. Two of the topics resulted in split votes of the council. With a roll call vote of six in favor and two opposed, a conditional use permit was issued by ordinance to Terry Hearn to operate a used […]
Feds seize property of Kansas City area companies accused of COVID relief fraud
(Missouri Independent) – The federal government has seized two vehicles and is threatening to seize a lake house, allegedly purchased illegally with COVID-19 relief money by a Kansas City-area businessman. The property was seized from several real estate companies incorporated in Kansas by Joseph Campbell, with most operating under a version of the name Titan […]
How a Mississippi court case could pave the way for new abortion bans across the U.S.
(Missouri Independent) – A six-week abortion ban in Texas enacted in September forced those seeking abortion services in the Lone Star State to look across state lines for care. But the timing couldn’t have been worse for Texans living near the state’s eastern border. The law took effect as neighboring Louisiana was reeling from the […]
Missouri State Treasurer says he will not comply with invasive Biden IRS proposals
Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick announced that should proposals pass requiring financial institutions to turn over private citizens’ personal bank account information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) if they exceed $600 of inflows or outflows from the account, he will not comply. “As Treasurer, I have an obligation to the nearly 200,000 MOST 529 and MO ABLE […]
Missouri State Auditor releases audit of 6th Judicial Circuit Court in Platte County
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released an audit of the 6th Judicial Circuit in Platte County. The Court received an overall rating of “fair”. The audit found the Circuit Clerk’s bank account contained more than $24,000 in unidentified funds, and that those funds have been in the account for more than 20 years. Under state […]
Lawmakers seethe at Missouri agency over failure to report missing foster kids
(Missouri Independent) – Exasperated lawmakers slammed leaders of the Missouri Department of Social Services on Tuesday, accusing them of passing off blame for a federal review that found the state fails to adequately report missing foster children. Tuesday’s hearing of the House Children and Families Committee was spurred by a report issued last week by the U.S […]
Report says millions to lose abortion access if Roe v. Wade overturned
As the new U.S. Supreme Court session gears up, a new report found more than 36 million women in 26 states, including Missouri, could lose access to abortions if the court overturns Roe v. Wade. Missouri has only one clinic where abortions are performed, the result of laws that, for instance, require providers to have admitting privileges at […]
Audio: Missouri pediatrician wants state to change the way it handles rape cases involving children
A Missouri pediatrician wants the state to change the way it handles sexual assault cases involving children. St. Louis Children’s Hospital Doctor Adrienne Atzemis says state law currently reimburses sexually transmitted disease testing for victims younger than age 14. During a statewide task force hearing, she says that’s not the case for kids 14 and […]
Schuyler County receives rating of “good” in audit from Missouri State Auditor
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released today her regularly scheduled audit of Schuyler County, located in northern Missouri. Schuyler County received an overall rating of “good” in the audit, which matches the “good” rating received by the county in a 2015 audit. “My audit recommended several areas for improvement that county government officials have shown a willingness […]