COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A new audit of former Gov. Mike Parson's office found insufficient documentation for hundreds of thousands of dollars in state travel expenses, unallowable employee payments and a lack of recordkeeping, leading Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick to give the office a "fair" rating.

The State Auditor's Office rates agencies on a four-point scale from "excellent" to "poor." A "fair" rating is the second-lowest score on the auditor's scale and indicates an agency needs to improve operations in several areas.

The audit, released Thursday, primarily covers July 1, 2024,-Jan. 13, 2025, and examined the final months of Parson's administration. Among the report's largest findings was the use of state aircraft. Auditors found the governor's office paid $375,160 for 174 trips on the state aircraft during the audit period, but flight records generally listed only "Flight for Governor Parson" without documenting the purpose of the travel.

After comparing flight records with archived news releases and media advisories, auditors said they could not determine a specific state business purpose for 58 of the 174 flights. The report also found a December 2023 flight to the Cotton Bowl violated state travel policy because spouses of governor's office employees were passengers.

Auditors also found the governor's office did not consistently document the purpose of lodging expenses and identified one $355 lodging charge that was unrelated to the office's business.

The report also found the governor's office made $28,058 in compensatory time payments to four top-level employees in violation of state policy and reimbursed employees $30,449 for tuition and fees that auditors claimed were either not allowed under office policy, or were not properly approved.

Another finding concluded the governor's office improperly used about $472,000 appropriated for its own operations to pay expenses for other state agencies during fiscal year 2024 without written agreements or documentation explaining the charges.

Auditors also identified weaknesses in employee travel procedures. Employees received about $28,000 in mileage reimbursements without submitting required documentation showing they used the lowest-cost method of travel. In addition, auditors found the office often failed to compare lodging prices before booking hotels, despite spending more than $23,000 on lodging during the audit period.

The audit also criticized documentation surrounding events hosted at the Governor's Mansion. Auditors claimed the office failed to consistently document the business purpose of events or food costs, making it impossible to determine whether all expenditures were appropriate.

Food purchases for the mansion -- including official events and food for the personal consumption of the governor and first lady -- totaled about $210,000 during the audit period.

The report found the governor's office failed to archive several records required by state law after Parson left office, including the governor's calendar, portions of the employee manual, Sunshine Law request logs and the office's internal control plan.

In a written response included in the audit, Parson disputed the findings, saying his administration provided explanations and documentation throughout the audit process that were not reflected in the final report.

"To characterize these matters as findings of concern is misleading. None of the issues cited constitute unethical conduct," Parson wrote. "At most, they reflect differences in interpretation or perception—not wrongdoing."

Parson also argued former administrations no longer have access to their records after leaving office because those documents are transferred to state archives.

Fitzpatrick said the report identifies areas where the governor's office should strengthen record retention, travel documentation and compliance with state policies.

ABC 17 News reached out to Fitzpatrick for comment.