Audit Notes Concerns at Missouri Department of Conservation

A state audit of the Missouri Department of Conservation has noted concerns over how the department awards grants.

Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway said in a release Friday that the Conservation Department received a good performance rating overall.

But she says auditors identified an instance in which the department overpaid a grant recipient by more than $1,000, and another instance where grant funds were used to pay for a recipient to attend to a conference that the recipient didn't attend.

The audit also found that the Conservation Department does not follow state policy on meal reimbursements for staff when they travel.

Conservation department spokesman Aaron Jeffries says the department will look at improving documentation and is pleased with the audit's overall results.