A recent audit of internal records kept by Mathews Clerk of Circuit Court Elizabeth Brown turned up some findings that the auditor determined could “lead to noncompliance with laws and regulations, the loss of assets or revenues, or otherwise compromise the clerk’s fiscal accountability.” Lori Hicks, audit director for the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts, said that such an audit typically turns up perhaps one or two findings that need to be addressed, but in this case, there were findings in seven areas. “This is certainly not a good error rate,” said Hicks, pointing out that several of the findings were repeats from last year’s audit. She said that whether or not corrections have been made from one year to the next depends on “what’s behind the weakness.” Some things can be addressed relatively quickly, she said, while others could take longer. “If they have to get somebody hired and trained up, it could take a while, especially with assessment and billing of court costs,” she sai...