State audit shows ‘lingering problems’ in Haywood County
HAYWOOD COUNTY, Tenn. — A scathing audit of Haywood County is released Monday. One big problem for the state is that it reads very much like the county’s previous audit.
Officials said many of the problems identified in years past still have not been corrected, but county leaders say it’s not as bad as it looks
“There are significant deficiencies and issues of noncompliance that have gone uncorrected for at least a year now,” Public Information Officer for the Tennessee State Comptroller’s Office John Dunn said.
Twelve problems across five county offices, eight of which were seen last year and some even before that.
“We don’t like to see any repeat problems, and when we see eight repeat problems, that tells us that things need to be taken more seriously,” Dunn said.
The Comptroller’s Office said their findings are “concerning,” but county officials said they don’t feel the same way.
“Contrary to what the Comptroller says, I don’t think the audit is that bad,” Haywood County Mayor Franklin Smith said.
Mayor Smith said he knows there are problems that need to be fixed but says that some of them, like issues with purchasing, were only minor.
“We did it properly. We just didn’t file the report with the Comptroller,” Smith said. “It’s our bad, and we’ll take care of that as well.”
Other issues like fund deficits and controlling access to county offices are things state officials said shouldn’t keep happening with leadership that’s been in office for so long.
“Leaders in Haywood County have been around for a while, and they know that these problems are there,” Dunn said. “It’s really time for them to get serious about correcting them.”
But county officials said they just don’t think it’s that bad.
“There’s always a difference of opinion, and we do the best we can,” Mayor Smith said. “We make mistakes, and we’ll do our best to correct them.”
If you want to take a look at the Comptroller’s findings for yourself, we’ve posted the entire 200-page report here.
