Clay trustees make financial decisions
Brookville Star
2019-05-29
Kay Dawson
Contributing Writer
CLAY TOWNSHIP - When Jeff Requarth returned to the Clay Township trustee meeting on Feb. 4, after an absence of almost two month due to illness, Trustee President Steve Woolf reminded him he had been chosen vice president at the December 2018 meeting.
“That’s what happens if you skip a meeting,” Requarth said, laughing.
Actually, the positions rotate, and it was Requarth’s turn at the vice presidency.
Getting down to business the trustees agreed to transfer township money deposited in Huntington Bank to an interest-bearing account.
Fiscal Officer Brad Limbert told trustees that although the account would involve service charges of about $160 a month the interest earned would easily outstrip that.
“That’s a no-brainer,” Requarth said, and after Woolf learned that the money could easily be moved back to a no-interest account if the situation changed, trustees approved the change.
Woolf asked Limbert to set up a conference with bank officials to discuss an endowment fund for cemetery maintenance.
“People can bequeath money to the cemetery to provide maintenance,” he explained. “We had one, but the trustees then didn’t market it, and it never gained money. Now the law’s been changed so we can use the principle as well as the interest in such a fund if we need to.”
Trustees also adopted a “custody and control” credit card policy. The fiscal officer keeps custody of the township credit cars and signs them out to officials for specific period. The policy would not affect gas or phone cards, which are often needed on a daily or emergency basis.
Woolf and Limbert explained as a result of mishandling in another area of the state the auditor requires all townships write either such a policy or a “compliance policy,” under which the cards are distributed to township departments but a compliance officer must oversee expenditures.
When Limbert said the compliance officer had to be someone other than the fiscal officer, treasurer or trustee, Requarth joked, “We don’t have that many other officials.”
The custody policy is basically the procedure the township already follows, but not having a written policy for one or the other will be a violation of state audit.
Trustee Dave Vore asked what would happen if Limbert were not in his office when someone needed a credit card, and Limbert said most of the purchases could be planned in advance.
I addition, Woolf said, townships could set up blanket purchase orders with companies, and authorized employees could charge purchases that way. Road and Cemetery Superintendent said most of his departments’ purchases came from Lowe’s or Tractor Supply via just suce purchase orders.
Limbert said he had a policy from another jurisdiction he could easily alter to fit township needs and satisfy the law.
The next regular trustee meeting will be at 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 18, in the meeting room at the Township Administration Building, located at 8207 Arlington Road.
“That’s what happens if you skip a meeting,” Requarth said, laughing.
Actually, the positions rotate, and it was Requarth’s turn at the vice presidency.
Getting down to business the trustees agreed to transfer township money deposited in Huntington Bank to an interest-bearing account.
Fiscal Officer Brad Limbert told trustees that although the account would involve service charges of about $160 a month the interest earned would easily outstrip that.
“That’s a no-brainer,” Requarth said, and after Woolf learned that the money could easily be moved back to a no-interest account if the situation changed, trustees approved the change.
Woolf asked Limbert to set up a conference with bank officials to discuss an endowment fund for cemetery maintenance.
“People can bequeath money to the cemetery to provide maintenance,” he explained. “We had one, but the trustees then didn’t market it, and it never gained money. Now the law’s been changed so we can use the principle as well as the interest in such a fund if we need to.”
Trustees also adopted a “custody and control” credit card policy. The fiscal officer keeps custody of the township credit cars and signs them out to officials for specific period. The policy would not affect gas or phone cards, which are often needed on a daily or emergency basis.
Woolf and Limbert explained as a result of mishandling in another area of the state the auditor requires all townships write either such a policy or a “compliance policy,” under which the cards are distributed to township departments but a compliance officer must oversee expenditures.
When Limbert said the compliance officer had to be someone other than the fiscal officer, treasurer or trustee, Requarth joked, “We don’t have that many other officials.”
The custody policy is basically the procedure the township already follows, but not having a written policy for one or the other will be a violation of state audit.
Trustee Dave Vore asked what would happen if Limbert were not in his office when someone needed a credit card, and Limbert said most of the purchases could be planned in advance.
I addition, Woolf said, townships could set up blanket purchase orders with companies, and authorized employees could charge purchases that way. Road and Cemetery Superintendent said most of his departments’ purchases came from Lowe’s or Tractor Supply via just suce purchase orders.
Limbert said he had a policy from another jurisdiction he could easily alter to fit township needs and satisfy the law.
The next regular trustee meeting will be at 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 18, in the meeting room at the Township Administration Building, located at 8207 Arlington Road.