Des Moines, IA (Northwestiowanow.com) — State Auditor Rob Sand says a former Spencer city employee has admitted to stealing 45 thousand dollars in taxpayer funds. Lavonne Bell was a finance assistant at city hall from January 2018 to June of 2024.
She was fired on June 14th of 2024 and the city started an internal investigation. In July – faced with the flood crises – then-City Manager Dan Gifford opened the city’s books to the state and asked them to take over.
Sand says the bulk of the money was collected at the city-owned landfill near Graettinger and never made it to the bank.
Sand says many municipalities have no oversite of the employees who are handling the money, and that was the case in Spencer.
New internal controls were already put into place in November of 2024 to track landfill fees, reconcile collections and bank deposits, track all credit card purchases, and double-check payroll disbursements.
Sand has turned the information over to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and Clay County Attorney’s office. We have requested information from both agencies whether or not they intend to pursue criminal charges.
