A special investigation by the state auditor’s office has found the former city clerk in a small western Iowa was responsible for about $58,000 worth of improper spending over a six and a half year period.
The investigation has found former Cumberland City Clerk Grace Thomsen also failed to collect or bill about $30,000 worth of utility charges and fees in the town of 250 residents. According to State Auditor Rob Sand, Thomsen admitted in an interview she had not paid her own water and sewage service bills for a few years.
The other $58,000 worth of improper spending flagged by auditors includes unauthorized pay and reimbursements to Thomsen and other city employees as well as penalties, interest and late fees on other transactions. Cumberland’s mayor told the state auditor’s office Thomsen admitted to taking $2000 in city money “to feed her family” and resigned in mid-2021.
A copy of the special investigation by the State Auditor’s Office has been forwarded to officials in Cass County as well as the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.