Auditor provides annual financial report
One more piece of the puzzle
By Debbie Lowe Staff writer

Carroll County Council members learned more about county fiscal status at their March 20 evening meeting. They were given the annual financial report by county auditor Beth Myers.

Myers emphasized the numbers were unaudited.

The term "unaudited" means the Indiana State Board of Accounts (SBA) has not certified the report numbers as correct. That measure is the result of the annual SBA audit. County council members have requested an early SBA audit to more fully understand the county's true fiscal picture.

Council members learned from the report that although less county money was spent than budgeted across the board, more money was spent than received. Approximately $2,232,913 more was spent. Revenues can only be anticipated when the budget is developed, and in 2006 those anticipated revenues fell short for Carroll County.

Councilman Jerry Hendress asked fellow members how to project expected income in a meaningful way to avoid repeating the problem.

"Figure the percentage of shortage this year and apply that to next year," instructed council member Steve Ashby.

"The bottom line is we have to keep control of the budget," Hendress said.

Council finance committee member Ron Slavens, who holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and economics from Manchester College said in a March 23 Comet interview, one challenge for the county is that the auditor and the treasurer are not generating the same type of report for council members to review.

"Procedures are the key," Slavens said. "That's our biggest problem."

"The council is unable to compare apples to apples from their reports," he continued. "When it comes down to making fiscal decisions, we (council members) want to be looking at a piece of paper with numbers we can have confidence in."

"We have to get the system working better," Slavens concluded. "My goal is to make government as efficient as possible. That means taxpayers' money is spent wisely."

"Since this has come to light, we want to find out if there is a real problem and if there is, get to the bottom of it," council president Rob Baker said. "We need to figure out how to fix it and then make sure it doesn't happen again."

Baker said the council's financial committee has continued to work daily to expedite the process to meet a June deadline.

Other business

Ashby recommended the council work with commissioners to establish policies for cell phone and credit card usage, county-owned vehicle usage, and the personnel policy.

He said he has been able to reduce the amount of money spent monthly on cell phones significantly, but only with the cooperation of department heads.

"For instance," Ashby said, "we have been able to reduce the cost of cell phones at the sheriff's department from more than $2,000 a month to approximately $978 a month."

Ashby said there are still some departments with independent cell phone plans, such as the county health department with six cell phones. He said without a county-wide policy, costs will continue to be unpredictable and unmanageable.

Transfers

County highway supervisor Ramzi Awwad was denied a $37,000 transfer from culverts/ highway emergency to Bridge #129. The bridge, located north of SR25, has been closed for more than a year, according to Awwad.

"I think we have more culverts to be fixed on the main roads," Slavens said. "This bridge doesn't have that much use."

Slavens said road money should be used on main roads.

Awwad said there was no point in re-bidding the project because the result would not be a better bid. He advised the same engineering documents would be able to be used in a year if the county wanted the project to move forward.

Commissioners' president Loren Hylton, advocating for the transfer, said the road is used frequently by farmers.

Ashby said he wanted to support the agricultural community.

"I hate to see us go backward with the money we've spent so far," he said.

Ashby and Hendress voted in favor of the transfer.

The clerk was granted a transfer of $359 from postage to office equipment. She will purchase a document shredder.

A statement for $1,239.50 from Barnes and Thornburg, financial planners used by PMSI inc. for the most recent jail study, was presented.

It was the consensus of the council the bill should be paid by PMSI because that firm engaged the planners for services.

"Send it back and say no way," council member Carl Abbott suggested.

Myers said she would withhold a $5,000 payment to PMSI until the matter was settled.

The next meeting will be April 27 at 8 a.m.