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Richard Piatt reportingNews of yet another round of investigations into financial wrongdoing at Salt Lake County has already created some fallout.
Even though there are no additional allegations today, county employees are still buzzing about these latest scandals. They have been swamping the mayor's office with information about more possible things to investigate.
It wasn't long after a news conference Thursday, that e-mails started pouring in to the mayor's office: dozens of county employees wanting to expose wrongdoing.
Friday, Mayor Peter Corroon says those tips will help auditors already tipped off to possible fraud, theft, and misrepresentation.
Peter Corroon/Salt Lake County Mayor: "We're getting a lot of people coming forth saying you're need to take a look at this or that, and we're taking a look at it."
The county probe will examine timesheets, credit card use and cash transactions at various Salt Lake County agencies.
In addition, hiring and promotion practices have been called into question at the Clerk's office.
But in a statement, Clerk Sherrie Swensen refutes those allegations, saying they're based on innuendo and hearsay.
Meantime, at least two members of the county personnel office--already under fire from the tuition assistance program probe--could face criminal charges after that audit.
Over the last year, the county fleet, and gasoline card practices have also been the focus of audits.
As a result, the reputation of Salt Lake County Government has repeatedly taken a beating.
Corroon says it's a result of being open about its records, and he's not afraid to make changes.
Peter Corroon/Salt Lake County Mayor: "Based on a 750-million dollar budget, we're probably not talking about a whole lot of money. But still, a dollar of the taxpayers money that's waste is a dollar that shouldn't be wasted."
There's no timeline on when these audits might be done--no indication about how many problems they might uncover.
But they'll probably keep county government in the spotlight for the next few months.
