Shoshone County officials review annual audit

WALLACE — Shoshone County is in “reasonable shape,” and in “a better spot than it was at the beginning 2023," according to auditor Tony Matson.

Elected officials and department heads in Shoshone County met with Matson on Monday to review the county’s annual audit.  

Matson said this audit was more challenging due to several changes within the county clerk’s office during the past year, but overall, he said the county was in a positive position.  

Commissioner Dave Dose was pleased with Matson’s report after months of discussions over potentially facing a multimillion-dollar shortfall that was discovered last August when commissioners tried to finalize and pass their annual budget.   

“I’m taking this as a positive,” Dose said. “Some things still don’t add up and we still don’t have all the answers. Our best hope now is that the forthcoming results of our forensic audit will show where any potential errors were made.”  

The county reportedly faced a $1.7 million deficit during its 2023/24 budget process, but according to Dose, that estimate was inaccurate, and the deficit could be significantly less.  

Last year, the board led several meetings in which it discussed over $1 million in cuts. 

Dose said the board would be watching the county’s justice fund that pays for Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office, jail, public safety building, and public defense. In 2023/24, it made up more than 34% of the county’s annual budget.  

The money in the justice fund is levied independently of other county dollars, but is also spread out over multiple entities, including equipment and vehicles, as well as salaries and wages.  

“The sheriff has to live within what is in the justice fund,” Dose said. “Crime is up 19% and our county is being bombarded from the outside with crime, including significant drug crimes.”  

Dose said he wants no part of cutting wages or jobs but said the county cannot budget for what it can’t afford.  

“We all want to do right by our employees,” Dose said. “We see grocery prices and the costs of everything, and I can tell you that absolutely none of our employees are being overpaid.”  

The county recently approved a wage study to provide it with statewide data that will show where it is, and is not, competitive regarding wages and benefits.  

No official meeting has been scheduled for the results of the county’s forensic audit, but Dose believes it could be soon.