The Reporter newspaper, Camdenton Missouri

The Reporter covers Miller, Morgan and Camden County in Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks and is published once per week on Wednesdays.

Published December 24, 2025

Rep Vernetti supports audit of Camden County

CAMDEN COUNTY - Local Representative Jeff Vernetti has sent a letter of support to the State Auditor for a complete audit of Camden County.

Vernetti says the County Commission has requested that an audit be done for various reasons.

The Sheriff’s Department and Road and Bridge were two of the reasons mentioned in Vernetti’s letter.

On December 11, Commissioner James Gohagen posted the following on his Facebook page outlining the problems with the Sheriff’s Office and Road and Bridge funds.

WITNESS THE BUREAUCRACY
Looking back to look forward!
Road and bridge cut 7 million!
The sheriff's office 3 million!
A mutant possum in our midst!?
In 2007 a half cent sales tax was passed for Road and Bridge and the Sheriff's office.
50% to RB 50% to the SO
How much of that money do you think those Departments received from that?
Would you be shocked to find it was 5% for Road and Bridge and 20% for the Sheriff's Office in 2025?
The rest was dumped throughout "whoever" thought it was better, for them, to decide.
Essentially overriding the voters.
SPOILER WARNING
It collected roughly 90 million dollars since 2008
*taxes are generally held the first year to build it up for budgeting purposes*
Do you notice how the Commission and Sheriff’s office are always at odds?
Do you ever wonder why your roads are terrible? Why our law enforcement is underpaid?
I’m starting to notice a pattern below is the original sale for this ballot initiative.
Feel free to sunshine any and all of this information
James_gohagan@camdencountymo.gov

A sad tale here about the 2007 levy, which is very similar to what is happening to LEST 2 right now
It has now mutated from what it was originally intended to be, but the bureaucracy is thriving while subverting the voters of Camden County

The complete letter Vernetti sent to the auditor’s office is below.

\December 15, 2025
The Honorable Scott Fitzpatrick
301 West High Street, Room 880
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102

Dear State Auditor Fitzpatrick:

As you are aware, perhaps more than anyone in Missouri, it is critical that we make sure government at every level is run with transparency and the utmost efficiency. We must always respect and protect taxpayer dollars.

Therefore, I am writing in support of the Camden County Commission’s request for a state audit. I ask that your office allocate resources and perform a full audit of Camden County. With the county in the process of finalizing their 2026 budget, at the very least a fiscal audit is urgently and immediately requested.

Camden County is an economic engine for the state of Missouri and continues to grow in all areas, in particular since 2020. Due to this growth, key facets of county government have faced enormous financial strain — not only from new residents but from the annual influx of visitors to Lake of the Ozarks.

From a budgetary standpoint, the county road and bridge department is continually challenged by the wear and tear on our roads as a result of hundreds of thousands of visitors. In addition, our Sheriff’s department has faced major challenges not only from the increased public safety needs created by a large influx of visitors, but from a much-needed overhaul of both equipment and training methods.

Camden County residents are concerned about the allocation of tax dollars, especially how they are directed for use to those two departments. The Commission shares those concerns and is attempting to make sure that funds are not only used properly and as they were intended to be, but that there is full transparency throughout every department in Camden County. There has not been a state audit of Camden County in more than a decade, and one is certainly needed to maintain confidence in county government.

Thank you for your time and consideration of our request. We appreciate your leadership and look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,
Rep. Jeff Vernetti 123rd District