The following information is from a Local Government Services site that provides public access to City/Town Government Audits.
Montana Department of Administration >>
The City of Miles City is required to be audited annually. If the reports come back with issues, they have a deadline to resolve them. If they do not fix the same problem year after year, state financial assistance to the city can be withheld until they comply.
Specifically, the City of Miles City has two significant findings that have not been resolved. One from 2022 and one from 2023. The 2024 report is due out soon. All of this means that if our issues are not corrected, Miles City could lose its state funding.
Number One: FY 2022 – See Page 54 – 2022-004 below – click to view complete 2022 report
Number Two: FY 2023 – Page 56 – 2023-006 is below – or click to read the complete 2023 report.
MONTANA STATE LAWS
2-7-515. Actions by governing bodies. (1) Upon receipt of the audit report, the governing bodies of each audited local government entity shall review the contents and within 30 days shall submit to the department a corrective action plan detailing what action or actions they plan to take on any findings or recommendations contained in the audit report. If no findings or recommendations appear in the audit report, notification is not required. If the local government entity is a school district, the local government entity shall also send a copy of the corrective action plan to the superintendent of public instruction.
(2) Notification to the department shall include a statement by the governing bodies that noted findings or recommendations for improvement have been acted on by adoption as recommended, adoption with modification, or rejection.
(3) Within 30 days of receipt of the corrective action plan, the department shall notify the entity of the acceptance or rejection of the corrective measures. If the department and the local government entity fail to agree on the corrective measures, a conference between the parties must be held within 30 days of the department’s decision not to accept the local government entity’s corrective measures. Failure to resolve significant findings or implement corrective measures must result in the withholding of financial assistance in accordance with rules adopted by the department pending resolution or compliance.
(4) In cases where a violation of law or nonperformance of duty is found on the part of an officer, employee, or board, the officer, employee, or board must be proceeded against by the attorney general or county, city, or town attorney as provided by law. If a written request to do so is received from the department, the county, city, or town attorney shall report the proceedings instituted or to be instituted, relating to the violations of law and nonperformance of duty, to the department within 30 days after receiving the request. If the county, city, or town attorney fails or refuses to prosecute the case, the department shall refer the case to the attorney general to prosecute the case at the expense of the local government entity.
History: En. 82-4521, 82-4522 by Secs. 7, 8, Ch. 380, L. 1975; R.C.M. 1947, 82-4521(2), 82-4522; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 128, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 13, Ch. 489, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 268, L. 2019.
Here is the Penalty LAW for failure to correct the ongoing issues:
