Committee Meeting | Audit - October 7, 2026

The Wayne County Commission Committee on Audit met on October 7, 2026, and received and filed the Office of the Legislative Auditor General’s performance audit of the Sheriff’s Office Civil Process Unit’s mortgage foreclosure auctions. The audit identified weaknesses in retaining and reconciling adjournment notices and fees, issuing and documenting sheriff’s deeds within the county’s 14-day policy, transferring unclaimed surplus funds to the state, tracking canceled properties eligible for $50 payments, validating bidder forms, reconciling bid activity, and independently verifying auction funds. Testing found an unexplained net $840 difference in adjournment-fee records; four of 10 tested deeds lacked issuance signatures or dates, and two were issued 28 days after sale. The Sheriff’s Office agreed with the recommendations, and the auditor said a corrective action plan is due within 30 days after the report is formally received and filed, with follow-up possible.

Commissioners discussed staffing and space constraints affecting implementation. Sheriff’s Office management said it would temporarily assign an experienced employee to assist with Thursday auctions and consider using vacancy savings to identify staff, including an accountant, while assessing longer-term staffing needs; no new funding or procurement was approved. The administration also reported that Corporation Counsel is developing a policy for handling unclaimed surplus funds. The committee approved receiving and filing the audit report; no contract awards, vendor selections, or purchasing actions were identified.