A report from the State Auditor has found the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division wasn’t reviewing payroll journals before
forwarding time sheets to the agency that pays state employees.
The payroll records were being submitted to a manager, but according to the state auditor’s report no one in the Alcoholic Beverages Division was reviewing the time sheets or signing off on them. The auditor’s report suggests that could let employee “errors or dishonesty” about their payroll journals slip through. The agency says it has updated and changed its procedures, with the Comptroller of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division downloading the payroll report and the agency’s Chief Operations Officer reviewing and signing it.
As you may recall, State Auditor Rob Sand’s Republican opponent, Todd Halbur, was fired as the Comptroller of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division in 2018. This fall, a jury awarded Halbur a million dollars after he sued for wrongful termination and retaliation after he raised concerns about liquor charges.
The State Auditor’s report covered all divisions in the Iowa Department of Commerce. It recommended the Iowa Insurance Division ensure credit card payments were not being approved by a person who had access to the cards — and the agency has made that change. The Iowa Utilities Board has also made changes to ensure one person isn’t responsible for both collecting and depositing payments to the agency.