Misused public fundsOversight & ethics enforcement

Idaho legislative auditors refer Kamiah city spending records to the Attorney General, citing missing documentation

Confidence: Confirmed · 2 sourcesKamiah · Oct 13, 2026

Subject of this story

City of Kamiah

Also named

Oversight

Idaho Legislative Services Office Audits Division

What happened

Idaho's Legislative Services Office Audits Division published a special report on the City of Kamiah in July 2026 following complaints about the city's finances. The report says supporting documentation was missing for many transactions it tested and that it could not tell whether that was incompetence or something worse. It describes a May 2021 payment of $19,252.23 that appears to have gone either to a fake vendor or to ransomware, a pool-renovation contract of $43,700 on which the city has paid nearly $500,000 while the pool remains unrenovated, and a 94% decline in cash and investments between 2020 and 2023. Auditors referred the report to the Idaho Attorney General. The city's current mayor and attorney, who were not in office during the period reviewed, responded that there was no evidence fraud took place and that new policies are in place.

Sources (2)

Special Report: City of Kamiah (Idaho Legislative Services Office Audits Division)We noted that Kamiah made an ACH payment in May 2021 for $19,252.23. The payment appears to have been paid to either a fake vendor or for ransomware.

Idaho Capital Sun“The level of missing documentation across all financial transactions reviewed is very concerning,” the report said.

Response

City of Kamiah

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

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