The state Auditor’s Office found that I-COM dispatch center had inadequate controls over financial statements.

The financial statement audit released this month identified one finding for the 911 dispatch center. The audit covered the period from Jan. 1, 2013 to Dec. 31, 2015.

Tom Shaughnessy, director of I-COM, said the problem was due to the turnover in the executive assistant position. It’s been resolved, he said, with the help of the auditor’s office and a new executive assistant who has a background in finance.

“The state auditor’s office could not have been better to work with,” he said. “I’m very, very pleased with the cooperation.”

The audit report states that the center was not in compliance with requirements for submitting annual financial statements for fiscal years 2013, 2014 and 2015.

The report states that the center did not prepare or submit financial statements in a timely manner; the financial statements were not reviewed by an independent person with knowledge of requirements; and journal entries prepared by an outside accounting firm were not reviewed by staff knowledgeable of financial activity.

The report states that auditors identified additional, less significant errors in the fiscal year 2013, 2014 and 2015 financial statements.

The center’s response states that a new executive assistant with an accounting degree was hired and that it contracted for a financial accounting program. In addition, the center arranged for someone from Island County or the City of Oak Harbor to review all journal entries.

I-COM was formed under a cooperative interlocal agreement to provide emergency dispatch services for all of the law enforcement, fire and emergency medical agencies that serve Island County. The board of directors includes officials from the hospital, the sheriff’s office, the county, the City of Oak Harbor and fire districts.