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Taylor Releases Village of Flushing Audit

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Belmont County -

Auditor of State Mary Taylor today released the audit of the village of Flushing for fiscal years 2005 and 2006. The audit reveals several bookkeeping errors, instances of money posted to incorrect funds and other illegal transfers of money between accounts.

Auditors recommend that village officials make several adjustments to various funds to ensure that public money is spent legally. Identical issues were identified in prior state audits and village officials have been unwilling to correct the situation.

For example in 2002, financial records indicate that village officials improperly deposited state tax dollars into the general fund to cover expenses. The general fund would now have a deficit balance if the funds had been deposited into the proper accounts. These issues raise serious concerns about the village’s ability to continue operating.

“The village’s financial issues are an ongoing concern,” Taylor said. “The inability to meet current financial obligations poses a serious threat to the village’s ability to continue operating.”

Other findings outlined in the audit report include:

  • Multiple errors posted to the village’s accounting system
  • Missing billing stubs for some customer utility payments
  • No formal review and approval process of employee timecards by village council members or their designee

A copy of the complete audit is available online at www.auditor.state.oh.us.

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The Ohio Auditor of State’s office is one of the largest accounting offices in the nation.  The office strives to ensure that all public funds are spent legally and appropriately and works aggressively to root out fraud, waste and abuse in public spending. Taylor encourages anyone suspecting fraud or misspending of public dollars to contact her office toll free at 866-FRAUD-OH (866-372-8364). Since taking office, Taylor has identified more than $11.5 million in public funds that were handled improperly, spent illegally or stolen and must be repaid