Knox County Audit Committee on a 4-1 vote today recommends that the Knox County Commission terminate Knox County Auditor Richard Walls. Walls is an employee of the Knox County Commission. They must be the one to send him packing.
On July 22, the Commission is gonna pick a new Knox County Trustee (hiring someone) and now potentially fire someone. Walls has actually lasted a longer than I ever expected. The role of an independent auditor has been lacking, primarily because Walls appeared in my humble opinion to not want to be the bad guy to the bureaucracy. Unless of course it was Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale and his staff.
Of course, I credit local CPA Louis Cosby for being the watchdog that stayed on Walls in that audit pursuit. Had Cosby not done so, Ragsdale would not have fared as severly as he did. Many people will tell you and make the case that Ragsdale did not suffer at all.
I can speak to the 2003 audit of the School Superintendent’s expense account. Walls allowed the School Board Chair and Superintendent to respond to irregularities during the audit. The audit of the Hardin Valley High School project again was another audit where the PBA and PBA Board were able to “explain” and cover irregularities prior to any findings.
In my humble opinion, Independent Auditor is not Independent when the Auditor allows the bureaucracy to cover it’s tracks. With all the audit companies in Knox County, there is no reason to have payroll, benefits of someone on the county taxpayers dime.
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