Press release and staff report
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Columbus – Incomplete financial records and bank reconciliations prompted Auditor of State Dave Yost to place Lykens Township (Crawford County) on the “unauditable” list.
“Poor records lead to poor service for taxpayers,” Auditor Yost said. “Auditable records must be provided to complete the audit and ensure accountability.”
During the course of the regular financial audit of Lykens Township for the period January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2015, the Independent Public Accounting firm Perry & Associates, CPAs, A.C., noted the incomplete financial records and bank reconciliations. As a result, the Auditor of State’s office determined that the condition of the township’s financial records was not adequate to complete the audit.
Crawford County Auditor Joan Wolfe explained that townships, by law, have to be audited every two years. In addition, they are required to use a new auditing firm every two terms – or four years – which the township did for this most recent audit.
Lykens Township contracted with Perry & Associates, a Marietta-based firm, for the 2014-2015 audit. When the firm requested information from the township and fiscal officer Rose Hartschuh, however, it was not provided to Perry & Associates in a timely manner.
“No one’s saying she did anything wrong,” Wolfe commented, “she just didn’t supply the information.”
In a letter to the township, the Auditor of State’s office provided a list of records required to complete the audit.
Within 90 days of the date of the letter, the township must revise its financial records and provide the necessary data. Failure to bring accounts, records, and reports to an auditable condition may result in legal action, including the possibility of the attorney general issuing a subpoena to township officials to explain the condition of records. The attorney general may also file suit to compel the officials to prepare and/or produce the required information.
“Lykens Township has been aware of the situation and is working diligently to correct it,” Hartschuh said. “The township is utilizing Local Government Services and other resources available to provide the requested information in a timely manner.”
The Auditor of State’s Local Government Section (LGS) is available to township officials to assist in bringing records to an auditable condition. LGS provides a wide variety of services to local governments, including reconstructing financial records and aid in the reconciliation of books.
An entity is removed from the “unauditable” list once the audit is completed and released to the public.