YOUNGSTOWN CDA review finds more accounting problems

Most of the nine agencies cited for accounting shortfalls quickly responded with changes they would make.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Nine agencies that receive federal money from the city besides Gleaners Food Bank have accounting problems.
Those agencies turned up among the roughly 30 nonprofits that were subject to a management review by the city Community Development Agency. CDA administers the city's federal funding.
However, the nine agencies were cited for less-serious accounting errors or omissions than Gleaners. None requires the city to pay money back to the government.
The city faces repaying the federal government $36,000 for money given to Gleaners that isn't accounted for.
Also, most of the agencies quickly responded to the city with the changes they would make. The city asked the agencies in July to provide a plan for compliance. Gleaners, however, has ignored requests to make such changes, city documents show.
Earlier this year, the city hired Cohen & amp; Co., an accounting firm, to evaluate how all CDA-funded agencies manage their federal money.
What was found
The review was less intensive than a true audit but revealed a number of accounting problems.
For example, the North Side Citizens' Coalition was in transition between directors. The organization didn't produce for the review a complete ledger, cash receipt or disbursement records or an all-important audit.
Ten days after being notified, however, the coalition told CDA that all financial information had been entered into a computer accounting program. An auditor had been hired to meet that requirement, too.
Buckeye Elks Youth Development Center is the only program that has failed to respond to CDA. The city is threatening to withhold about $14,000 the agency has coming until the problems are fixed.
Buckeye Elks failed to maintain a general ledger, records to verify that city withholding tax was paid were not available, and copies of funding requests weren't available.
Nobody from the program could be reached to comment. It appears the program doesn't have active administrators at the moment, said Mary June Tartan, CDA's compliance monitor.
Other findings
The other agencies that are working with CDA to rectify the problems and their original accounting shortfalls:
UYoungstown Playhouse was unable to produce needed financial records. The city has worked with the Playhouse closely for several years and says it understands the records problem.
UAll Children Learn Different School kept no ledger or copies of funding requests.
UCHOICE, or Community Housing Options Involving Cooperative Efforts, kept no time records on CDA-related activities and funds were not spent fast enough.
UGive the Children a Chance kept no general ledger and didn't do an audit.
USt. Augustine Learning Tree didn't keep a ledger.
UThe Family Service Agency kept no time records of CDA-related activities.
UThe Youngstown Area Urban League failed to supply requested records for the review.
rgsmith@vindy.com