Kristy Apprill is seeking a second term as Jefferson County Auditor.
Apprill, 46, of the Festus area was first elected in 2018 after having served as the chief auditor, or the second-in-command, of the office for 16 years.
She is running as a Republican in the August 2022 primary election.
While the job is anything but simple, Apprill said her reason for seeking a second four-year term isn’t complicated.
“The bottom line is, I love my job,” she said. “There’s always something new. I love to learn, and I’m learning new things each and every day.”
She said one of the things she’s learned as the head of the five-person department is how to deal with the other officeholders.
“That’s something I didn’t have to do as the chief auditor, but I like working closely with everyone else and doing what’s best for the county and the community.”
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she’s had to help ensure that federal stimulus money is spent correctly. Her office coordinated and vetted the distribution of $26.4 million CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act money, and will do the same for $21.86 million in American Rescue Plan funding county officials are discussing how best to distribute.
Apprill has been a part of those discussions.
“The dollar amounts were very large and almost overwhelming, but in planning how to distribute them, my first thought was how best to help the county,” she said.
“We had to protect our employees first, but then the consideration is how can we help the community.
“It was difficult, because the guidelines from the state and the federal government were at times difficult to understand and were changing all the time, but I think we’ve done the best that we could.”
Apprill said her office also helps the Jefferson Franklin County Action Corporation administer other federal stimulus money for rental assistance payments.
“As the auditor, I’ve been on high alert for the last several months,” she said.
If elected to a second term, Apprill said she’d like to work on duties that have been put on the back burner because of the time needed to respond to COVID-19 and the stimulus payments.
She said her office regularly examines each county government department.
“We ask a lot of questions, of course, and we test their policies and procedures and make sure they align with state laws and the county code.
“Any written policy in place, we make sure it’s being followed. We haven’t been able to do those kind of internal audits lately,” she said.
A 1993 De Soto High School graduate, Apprill earned an associate degree from Jefferson College and then a bachelor’s degree in accounting with a minor in forensic accounting from Kaplan University. She worked for the Auditor’s Office for two years before she was named deputy auditor.
She has three children.
The auditor is paid an $86,120 annual salary.
Filing for the August 2022 primary election runs from Feb. 22, 2022, through March 29, 2022.