Audit report takes county to task over mismanagement

Mismanagement of money ranks chief among concerns listed in an annual auditor’s report on Charles City County finances.

The report presented at the January Board of Supervisors meeting criticized a $1,000 bill rung up by the county sheriff’s office at a local restaurant. The bill was paid using assets that had been forfeited to the sheriff’s office. Using forfeited assets by the county for personal or political purposes is illegal, the auditor told the board.

Other concerns in the audit report included lack of standard operating procedures in departments and lack of consolidating areas for similar occupations that execute similar tasks.

District 1 representative Gilbert Smith said on Tuesday that the audit report problems are being taken seriously.

“We [Board of Supervisors] are looking into all matters along with the county administrator,” said Smith. “Steps are being taken to be set in place to make sure these things will not happen again.”

He declined to elaborate.

Those steps, however, were also a concern when it came to the auditor’s report. A lack of standard operating procedures, something supervisors have been working on since taking office in 2012, was also addressed.

“I have no idea how soon we will have all the departments and their procedures,” said Smith.

Deadlines had been previously requested, specifically by District 2 representative Bill Coada, with having all county departments working on standard operating procedures within a year’s time frame. That request was made last April.

Another financial matter of concern centers on $25,000 Charles City’s school system had to pay for failing to file reimbursement papers for federal funding in a timely manner.

School board members first heard the concern from interim finance director David Papenfuse at a February work session. In the statement, he said that a cafeteria manager failed to file proper paperwork on time. Although paperwork was eventually filed, federal officials denied the request due to tardiness.

Superintendent of schools Janet Crawley said that a checks and balances system for preventing mismanagement has been set in place. But she said that with the recent resignation of Melvin Robertson, the administrative services director who was to oversee the system, the duties are now being handled by another school board employee.