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CHARLOTTE – There have been questions about how money was managed at Mecklenburg County's Department of Social Services. An audit of the department found a lack of internal control on how money, receipts and other financial documents were handled.

Now DSS is under investigation as requested by its director, Mary Wilson.

"Ultimately, the question is, who is responsible for DSS finance, how did this happen, and how long has it been occurring?" Commissioner Bill James said.

Commissioners James and Dan Murrey are both on the Audit Review Committee and want to know why DSS' finance division wasn't better controlled.

"That's certainly why those procedures and policies are in place, is to make sure people can't take money without someone finding out. And if you don't keep records the right way, then sometimes it can be hard to tell," Murrey said.

Wilson and county leaders have Charlotte-Mecklenburg police tracking down receipts for some programs to find out who could be responsible and held accountable.

"There are some data and some information that we've not been unable to get that hopefully with their investigative powers that they'll be able to get for us," Wilson said.

In closed session, County Manager Harry Jones explained DSS’ relationship with the county manager's office and promised action once the investigation is complete.

"We will fix the problem. We've had other issues in this county, where we've had to go in and fix problems that existed," Jones said.

Mecklenburg County DSS is one of the county's biggest agencies with about 1,200 employees and a budget around $180 million.