$78,000, AND STILL COUNTING!
The Great Republican Financial Debacle of 2008 - 2009
No. 10 in the Series, from an Outraged Milan Resident
By Evelyn Bartin, September, 2009
Over the past several months, you’ve heard me express my outrage over the way the Republican majority has run our town. To be sure, I’ve focused on several matters I consider to be of great importance: lack of open government; suppression of the Democratic minority voice; contempt for the public’s voice; thoughtlessness in forming the town’s various boards and committees, and subsequent indifference to the conducting of the business of those boards and committees; betrayal by our Republican representatives of their collective promise to continue fighting new gravel mines; etc. Suffice to say, there has been no shortage of issues to be outraged about. However, no topic has been so near and dear to my heart as the fiscal mismanagement of our town. And we, the taxpayers, are going to be paying the freight! Not this year, an election year . . . but next year, when the proverbial chickens will come home to roost.
In testament . . .
Thanks to our two Democratic town board members, Diane May and Ross Williams, Pattison, Koskey, Howe & Bucci, CPAs, P.C. are (finally!) now on the case and have been reviewing the town’s finances. In a letter sent by PKHB to the town board on August 24th, many, many discrepancies were cited for both 2008 and 2009, to date. (It is interesting to note that PKHB began their review with the previous Democratic/Talmage administration’s correct—I repeat, correct—2007 AUD report.)
If you recall, PKHB’s first consultation was for free. But of course, once they were officially hired by the town board, the meter clicked on. Given the financial mess the Republican majority has put the town in, it seems it will take PKHB many corresponding accounting hours—to be paid by many Milan taxpayer dollars—to correct all the discrepancies. Quoting from their August 24th letter:
“To complete reviewing the accuracy of the accounts through the end of 2008 we anticipate . . . 59 hours at an average rate of $100 per hour amounting to $5,900. We anticipate the correction of the [2008] AUD to be 16 hours at a rate of $100 per hour or $1,600. We have also spent more than the original $1,000 to look at the situation; we have spent 24 hours at $100 per hour or $2,400. We therefore anticipate the . . . fees to correct 2008 to be $9,900.
We also recommend that we enter into an agreement to fix 2009 information and then complete your AUD for 2009 for a monthly fee of $600 per month or a total of $7,200 for the entire year. This also includes assistance by phone or in person to help with issues of training of bookkeepers, reconciling accounts, maintaining proper monthly board reports, etc.”
Read the entire letter
At the town board meeting held on Friday, August 28th, it was therefore necessary to pass a resolution to add yet another $1000 to the anticipated fees for PKHB, bringing that total now up to $18,100. If you like, you can read the motion and resolution here
So then, including PKHB’s fees, here’s what it’s cost us—Milan’s taxpayers—so far for The Great Republican Financial Debacle of 2008 - 2009:
2008
|
|
|
|
| Budget (Bookkeeper’s Salary) |
|
17,400 |
|
| Payroll Service |
|
3,000 |
|
| FundEZ Software |
|
2,285 |
|
| Attorney Fees (for extricating the
town from Barrett’s illegal signing of
a bookkeeping software agreement) |
|
2,000 |
|
| Independent Auditor
(D’Achille & Associates) |
|
6,000 |
|
| TOTAL 2008 |
|
30,685 |
|
| |
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
|
| Budget (Bookkeeper’s Salary) |
|
24,300 |
|
| Payroll Service |
|
3,000 |
|
| Bookkeeping “Consultation”(Lown, Hyde Park Bookkeeper) |
|
3,000 |
|
| PKHB (Correction of 2008) |
|
9,900 |
|
| PKHB (Correction/Completion of 2009 +Preparation of 2009 AUD Report in 2010) |
|
7,200 |
|
| TOTAL 2009 |
|
47,400 |
|
| |
|
|
|
| TOTAL 2008 - 2009 |
|
78,085 |
|
|
|
|
|
In contrast, the numbers for the previous two years under the Democratic/Talmage administration were as follows: |
| TOTAL 2006 |
|
18,000 |
|
| TOTAL 2007 |
|
16,000 |
|
| TOTAL 2006 - 2007 |
|
34,000 |
|
I refer to 2008 - 2009 as “The Great Republican Financial Debacle” and not “The Supervisor Richard Barrett Financial Debacle” because, while Barrett continued to fiddle, his Republican majority cohorts did absolutely nothing to stop Milan from financially burning. In fact, they were distinct hindrances to helping put the fire out . . . I presume not wanting to publicly indict one of their fellow party members and co-managers of the town.
Milan residents, regardless of your political party affiliation, please be sure to remember this when you pull the lever on November 3rd.
|
