Auditor Mike Harmon Releases Annual Audit of Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Fiscal Year 2016 audit contains five findings

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 23, 2017) – Mike Harmon, Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts, today released the Fiscal Year 2016 audit of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR).  The audit includes five findings and recommendations to KDFWR.

“Hunting and fishing is part of our heritage in the Commonwealth, and it’s important the agency that is responsible for the licensing and education of our outdoor sportsmen and sportswomen is conducting business in a way that is transparent and accountable,” said Auditor Harmon. “I would urge the leadership at KDFWR to thoroughly review our findings and recommendations on how they can become more accountable to Kentucky’s hunting and fishing communities.”

Among the five findings contained in Auditor Harmon’s audit of the KDFWR are:

KDFWR failed to adequately define the terms and conditions of a two-year, $132,000 contract that funded the Executive Director for the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a non-profit organization. In violation of state policy, the contract failed to reveal the true intent of the agreement, which was discovered in additional documentation outside the terms of the contract.

KDFWR used travel vouchers for reimbursements of non-travel expenses.  In one example, a travel voucher expense form was used for reimbursing $1,597 to the former coordinator of a program sponsored by KDFWR for the purchase of sweatshirts.

KDFWR failed to maintain internal controls over receipts, which led to misappropriation of funds.  This is a repeat finding from the fiscal year 2015 audit of KDFWR, which was referred to the Kentucky State Police and the Executive Branch Ethics Commission last year.

The full audit of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is available for review at auditor.ky.gov.