A special investigation by the state auditor’s office of accounts from the City of Delhi in northeast Iowa has found thousands of dollars’ worth of questionable and improper spending.
During an online news conference early this afternoon, State Auditor Rob Sand said it amounts to over $80,000.
“For the city of Delhi, that’s about $400 per household. This was largely money under the control of Lori Tucker, the former city clerk there,” Sand said. “Two-thirds of the improper disbursements were in the form of excess wages, unused vacation, longevity payments and (for) a Health…Savings Account.”
The investigation found a former maintenance worker got about $13,000 in excess payments for health benefits as well. Sand said auditors found receipts for about $475 in purchases made with Delhi’s credit card for improper expenses, like food and clothing.
“Another $6500 in credit card purchases could not be supported at all,” Sand said. “This is another example of why it is so important for government entities to have policies in place and procedures in place that allow for and encourage proper oversight of your tax dollars. It’s also important that then they follow these policies and procedures to try to help minimize the risk of things like this happening.”
The special investigation of Delhi’s finances during Tucker’s tenure as city clerk has been forwarded to law enforcement. Tucker resigned as Delhi’s city clerk in January of 2022. Sand said one day the following month, Tucker was back in city hall.
“We’re unable to determine what exactly was going on…There were conversations and things happening inside the city clerk’s office, but no camera in that location specifically,” Sand said. “We do know that Mrs. Tucker used the City of Delhi computer to update files for the city 48 times and we also know that when she departed, the computer had been encrupted with software that would wipe all the data from it if someone tried to access the computer.”
The state auditor indicated that as of today, it’s his understanding that Lori Tucker is still the city clerk in Ryan and Sand told reporters his office is nearly done with its investigation of the city finances in Ryan.