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Rubber Stamping Alleged In Monroe County

Auditor says budgets not being reviewed

WOODSFIELD — Monroe County Auditor Pandora Neuhart told county commissioners Wednesday that some departments may be “padding budgets.”

The commissioners are not working on budgets until Dec. 19 this year, which Neuhart said causes hardship for the auditor’s office and its employees.

“We go through this every year, and the later it gets, the more pressure there is on my office, especially if budgets have to be given back to the departments for adjustments. … You should certainly be looking for padding in the budgets as the general fund balance has significantly decreased this year — by over $2.8 million,” Neuhart told the commissioners. “We need to make sure all departments are being fiscally responsible.”

Neuhart suggested commissioners have been approving budgets with a “rubber stamp.”

“We have never just rubber-stamped these budgets. We always look over them,” Commissioner Tim Price replied.

“I know we went over each one of them line by line,” Commissioner Mick Schumacher added.

Neuhart noted there are four county departments with their own boards of directors that can make their own rules that may differ with county policies. Those four are parks and recreation, the Board of Developmental Disabilities, the Board of Elections and the Veterans’ Office. She expressed concern about some of those rules.

“I understand that they can write their own policies, but when those policies misuse the taxpayers’ money it is a very big concern for your fiscal officer, especially when the money is coming out of the general fund,” Neuhart said.

Neuhart said the Veterans’ Board voted to give an employee that wasn’t taking insurance a $10,000 stipend.

“There are many people in the county that do not use the county’s insurance, but do not get a stipend because the county’s policy does not permit it. … (The insurance) would cost the county more than $10,000, but it is not being fiscally responsible with taxpayers’ money,” Neuhart said.

Neuhart gave another example of possible misuse of taxpayer money, as the county policy for meal reimbursement is $40 per day, yet the Board of Elections passed a new policy that allows for reimbursement of the meal’s “actual cost, including tax and tips not exceeding 20 percent” excluding alcoholic beverages.

Commissioner Carl Davis said commissioners have no jurisdiction over those four departments, because they are governed by their own boards. He said Neuhart would have to take her concerns up with them.

“I just thought you should be aware,” Neuhart said.

In other matters, Jeanette Harter, director of the Monroe County Department of Job and Family Services told the commissioners that she was able to take care of a $2,918 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families budget shortfall through assistance from Coshocton County’s budget surplus. Harter said Job and Family Services departments often “trade” funding across county lines when one county has a surplus and the other has a shortfall.

“This way we do not have to ask for assistance from the county,” said Harter.

The commissioners also approved another funding “trade” with Muskingum County Job and Family Services that will benefit the county.

Meanwhile, Assistant County Engineer James Fleeman brought a professional service agreement with Woolpert Inc. for the commisioners to approve that would allow restoration work to begin on the Knowlton Covered Bridge, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The contract is for a lump-sum fee of $48,700, and will cover preparation of detailed construction contract plans, all permits, rights of way, detailed inspection, load capacity analysis and modifications of the existing structure to support emergency vehicles, Fleeman said.

“The Knowlton Covered Bridge is a very unique structure,” Fleeman said. “It has a tied arch system with actual wood tendons that are actually tied into the lower core. It is the only bridge in America with that design. It is the second-longest covered bridge in Ohio. The longest is in Ashtabula County.”

The commissioners gave unanimous approval for the contract.

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