Columbus – Poor overall recordkeeping and reporting in Washington Township (Tuscarawas County), along with undocumented expenditures of more than $1,900, were among the citations in an audit report released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

“The township borrowed from Peter to pay Paul, and now it’s time to pay the piper,” Auditor Yost said. “Financial reports tell taxpayers when government is under water, and this township needs to act now to right its ship.”

The township refused to make accounting adjustments for more than $83,000 charged to the wrong funds, resulting in inaccurate financial statements. Had the township reported properly, the General Fund would have had a negative balance of more than $17,000 in 2010, and more than $66,000 in 2011.

The report also included a finding for recovery in the amount of $1,963 against former fiscal officer Karla Bierbower for various reimbursements that were not properly documented.

Other citations included failure to pay all required IRS withholdings, failure to certify expenditures and failure to appropriate funds as required.

A full copy of this audit can be found online.

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The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,600 state and local government agencies.  Under the direction of Auditor Dave Yost, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies and promotes transparency in government.

Contact:
Carrie Bartunek
Press Secretary
614-644-1111