An audit has concluded the city clerk in a western Iowa town of just over a thousand residents made hundreds of dollars in improper payments to herself. The mayor and city council in Griswold asked for the audit at the end of February after City Clerk Dawn Ridlen admitted she’d improperly written payroll checks to herself.
The review examined city records dating back to July 1st of 2005. The state auditor’s investigation identified over $2,500 in "improper disbursements." In late February and early March of this year, Ridlen wrote two checks to the City of Griswold and presented them to the mayor to repay the money.
She continued as city clerk for several more weeks, but she was no longer authorized to sign checks. Ridlen resigned in late April. May 15 was her last day on the job.
The report from the state auditor suggests city officials in Griswold perform greater oversight of the city’s bookkeeping. It was not possible for auditors to determine whether all the utility payments Griswold residents submitted to the city had been deposited in the city’s bank accounts.
The audit report has been forwarded to the Cass County Attorney and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The audit can be found on-line here .