Even the $500,000 deficit created when St. Louis City Sheriff Alfred Montgomery terminated the senior staff of his predecessor, Vernon Betts, the department still exceeded their budget by over $300,000 according to a new audit released by Comptroller Donna Baringer's office.
The report published Tuesday reveals the department went $812,66.90 over budget in fiscal year 2025. That amount represents roughly 15% of funding the city provides to the department.
The report adds there is "no effective accounting system in place for the recording of revenue and expenditures," with the budget being maintained on an excel spreadsheet. This led to a check for a new, fifty six thousand dollar take home Chevy Tahoe for Sheriff Motgomery to bounce.
Some of the findings within the report have been widely reported, such as terminating the former senior staff members cost the department $491,524.54 resulting from comp time payout. There are also the questionable payments made despite this shortfall early in Montgomery's tenure, such as the Tahoe, new badges and uniforms and golf carts.
The report also found issues with how payroll is being managed. It found there is a lack of proper internal controls which led to payroll discrepancies. Employees hours are not being verified according to the report and job descriptions are not being
In response to all of the suggestions made by the Comptroller's office, the Sheriff's Department said they will implement them beginning next fiscal year, in July of 2026.
The Comptroller's response in the report criticized the lengthy timeline to implement these changes, saying immediate actions should be undertaken now, not in 2026, and the department's operations remain at a high risk until corrective measures are in place.
In a statement to KMOX, Comptroller Baringer says "this review ensures the public can see how city funds are being monitored and managed regardless of leadership change."
KMOX contacted a spokesperson for the Sheriff's Department and is awaiting a response.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Alfred Montgomery remains behind bars, with his bond revoked in his federal criminal case where he is accused of illegally detaining deputy jail commissioner Tammy Ross and taking retaliatory actions against witnesses for talking to the feds.
Montgomery's attorneys filed an appeal hoping to reverse the decision to have his bond revoked, arguing they were not allowed to introduce evidence proving his innocence and saying he did not obtain a burner phone while on bond.
Montgomery's legal team is due in court on the 29th, fighting against the Attorney General's quo warranto to remove him from office.