Audit rips state parks division

Tuesday, April 22, 2003 | 9:13 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Due to lax accounting procedures, the state Parks Division failed to collect more than $100,000 owed it by concessionaires, a legislative audit says.

"The Division of State Parks lacks sufficient controls to ensure all revenues are collected and property and equipment are adequately safeguarded," the audit, released Monday, said.

The financial examination said one concessionaire at a Lake Tahoe park did not send in $105,000 in fees due to maintain a performing arts stage facility at Sand Harbor.

As a result of the audit, State Parks Administrator Wayne Perock eventually collected more than $104,000 from the concessionaire.

Concessionaires did not always provide the division with required financial statements on which state fees are based. The division also failed to assess late fees when concessionaires were delinquent in paying the fees. The agency could have collected an additional $5,700 in late penalties.

The audit said the division should also be able to get an additional $46,000 a year from the federal government in reimbursement for work the state does.

Inventory records were inadequate, the audit said.

"For example, 50 of the 140 equipment items we selected for testing were not where they were reported to be or were not included in inventory records," the auditors said.

The missing equipment was subsequently accounted for, but the records should be improved, the auditors said.

The accounts receivable reports for fiscal year 2002 were inaccurate, according to the audit. For example, the division failed to include $22,000 due from one concessionaire in the accounts receivable report and $22,877 due from another contractor.

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