Brandon Twp.-A dispute between township officials has rung up a bill of more than $2,000 for taxpayers to date.
Clerk Jeannie McCreery and treasurer Linda Owen disagree over whether original invoices from vendors should leave the clerk’s office. Owen believes she should be able to review all original invoices in her office before signing the warrant making it a negotiable check. McCreery says Owen can review all original invoices, but in the clerk’s office, since it is imperative that no invoices are lost or altered.
To date, Owen has spent at least $1,665.25 of taxpayer money on auditors and attorneys in regards to the check policy. Her line item budget for the year for these services is $500. Taxpayers will also foot the bill for an opinion supervisor Ron Lapp sought from the township attorney in response to action Owen took. Lapp estimates that bill will be at least $200.
McCreery has not spent any money on auditor or attorney fees, but instead has purchased rubber stamps at a cost of $151.88 for marking bills as ‘OK to pay.?
‘How many taxpayers? dollars are we going to fritter away over this?? asked Lapp at the June 6 board meeting. ‘This is a circus.?
McCreery agreed, noting that not only money but time is being wasted. She requested mediation and she and Owen met with the mediator, but the session ended when three hours had passed and Owen, saying no progress had been made, left.
The check policy squabble began in January, when Owen returned from a Michigan Township Association conference where she says it was recommended that she get the original invoices.
‘I am trying to ensure there are proper internal controls and proper checks and balances,? says Owen.
‘I don’t have a problem with Jeannie being the keeper of the records. But I am the treasurer and I have a right to look at the invoices because I am signing the checks. That’s my objection.?
Lapp says Owen can do what everyone else does and go to the clerk’s office to look at the originals.
‘Who does she think she is?? asked Lapp. ‘Why does she think she’s special and doesn’t have to go to the clerk’s office to look? She gets a constant pass.
What she is doing is wrong. The bottom line is that the seven members of the board are responsible for paying the bills of this township.?
McCreery said state law requires that the clerk keep all records of the township, including the original invoices, to be attached to a copy of the check. ‘Auditors come in and randomly pull invoices and we had better have the original invoice attached,? says McCreery.
The clerk said when she has given original invoices to Owen in the past, they were misplaced or original payment coupons were torn off and sent with the check. This poses a problem, because there is information on the payment coupon that needs to be kept. The clerk’s office sends copies of invoices to the treasurer’s office instead, along with the warrant. The invoice copy can then be sent to the vendor with the dually signed check, says McCreery.
However, Owen has not been sending the payment coupon. This recently resulted in a returned check, because Consumers Energy didn’t know where to apply the payment.
‘Technically, no copies should be made,? says Owen, adding she was unaware a check was returned.
‘The original should be there. I think it’s a waste of taxpayer money to make copies.?
Owen believes the attorney and auditor fees are justified.
‘I’ve never overspent my budget,? she said. ‘I’ve exceeded it this year because it was reduced, because the budget is tight. I’ve exceeded the line item budget by a couple thousand. I would hope the taxpayers would feel it’s a very important issue.?
Owen has signed ‘five or six? checks to which she added ‘signed in protest,? prompting calls from vendors inquiring why the township was protesting paying their bill.
‘I don’t know where else to go with this,? says McCreery. ‘Is it worth spending two-thousand dollars in legal fees when you’ve been told over and over by legal authorities and financial associations and state statutes and the supervisor and township attorney that the system in place is correct??
Owen says she has the MTA on her side and that 95 percent of townships in the county follow the MTA recommendation of the treasurer receiving original invoices with warrants.
Oxford Township Treasurer Joe Ferrari says he doesn’t take all the original invoices, only when something is in question. But he agrees with Owen.
‘The more eyes you have looking, the better,? he said. ‘It’s good public policy.?
During the June 6 meeting, Owen also raised the issue of embezzlement, noting Brandon Township has had four cases of embezzlement since 1983? one in the building department; one in the baseball program; one in the library; and one in the school. The latter two were prosecuted.
She says she isn’t pointing fingers, just pointing out that it can happen anywhere.
‘I’m not implying that is a concern with Jeannie, just with the policy, because it’s not proper checks and balances.?
McCreery says embezzlement could not be done with the current check system, because there are too many checks and balances already in place. She cites invoices are seen by department heads, the clerk, the supervisor, the bookkeeper, the township board before finally going to the treasurer to be mailed.
‘You’re not going to get anything past this clerk, I’ll tell you that right now,? said McCreery.
Owen and McCreery do agree on one point. The language in the policy is ambiguous.
‘There is no right or wrong in this because the law is vague,? Owen said.
She doesn’t agree with changing the policy, because she is concerned with proper internal controls. But a change in the policy’s wording may be in store. Lapp has asked Tom Stowell and Bob DeWitt, township board trustees, to look into amending the policy.
The check policy will be on the agenda for the next board meeting, June 20. Lapp hopes the issue is finally resolved then.
‘There are more important issues to deal with in the township than this high school crap,? he said.