SLO County completes investigation into waste management authority, one employee facing charges
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's office published its final report into the County's Integrated Waste Management Authority.
The investigation took years to complete.
The report addresses allegations of misconduct and mismanagement at the IWMA. Dozens of warrants were served, documents were obtained, thousands of emails were collected and 11 hard drives with more than four Terabytes of data were taken into evidence as part of the investigation.
The investigation found one employee, identified as Carolyn Goodrich, embezzled public funds and shredded IWMA documents.
According to the report released by the DA's office, Goodrich used public funds to buy online services, pay personal bills and purchase goods from a hardware store. In all, more than $10,000 in public funds were used for personal expenses.
Goodrich has since been charged with nine counts of embezzlement and one count of destruction of public records. The DA's office said it plans to prosecute these charges.
As part of the investigation, the San Luis Obispo County Auditor Controller’s Office was contacted and evaluated the processes in place at the IWMA. In 2019, the auditor's office provided seven recommendations to strengthen controls and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
Among those recommendations, add a fiscal staff member and create new policies for handling cash and other payments. Five of those recommendations have been implemented and two other are in progress, according to the report.
In the report's final observations, investigators said the IWMA lacked transparency which may have created an environment where theft could go undetected. However, the IWMA has made changes to resolve many of these issues, the report states.
"It is important to emphasize that since the District Attorney’s Office began its investigation, the IWMA has made changes leading to greater transparency and oversight. This includes a 41-page policies and procedures handbook, effective June 18, 2020, covering a wide range of matters including vacation leave, use of the IWMA credit card, travel authorizations, and a variety of other matters."
The waste management authority is overseen by a 13-person board made up of elected officials across the county. Its purpose is to manage hazardous waste and recycling in SLO County.
The full 51-page report from San Luis Obispo County can be found online.
