Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder has reimbursed the state another $1,889, after an audit found that he owed additional money for hotel expenses.
The new payment comes on top of a $52,300 check that Kinder wrote the state in April. His campaign attorney said the original payment roughly equaled Kinder's instate hotel reimbursements but was intended to cover any potentially questionable expenses.
The auditor's review released Wednesday was conducted by Deputy State Auditor Harry Otto. He says the audit found that more money was owed due to a systems upgrade to the Lt. Governor’s electronic calendar.
“As a result of the upgrade, the way in which history was accessed and viewed did change," Otto said. "The entries on the calendar are not coded to identify official versus unofficial events."
Otto continued, “It was the practice of the Lt. Governor’s office to print off a calendar and work from a printed copy…at times, changes in scheduling occurred, and not all changes were captured in the electronic calendar.”
The audit also found that Kinder's initial payment failed to take into account some reimbursements he received from state agencies, and notes that Kinder received $10,893 in reimbursements for meals from January 2005 to April 2011.
It drew no conclusions on whether Kinder's expenses were for appropriate official state business.
A statement from Kinder’s campaign office says they consider the matter closed.
State Auditor Tom Schweich officially recused himself from the review, as Kinder’s campaign donated $200,000 to Schweich’s campaign last year.
