YOUNGSTOWN Final audit of county's payment of utility bills expected this month

A draft audit is finished.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- An audit that "gets to the bottom" of Mahoning County's method of paying utility bills will be finalized in a few weeks.
Ohio Auditor Betty Montgomery said a draft of the audit was finished last week and is in the hands of county officials, who are reviewing it. The final report will be released to the public by the end of the month.
An examination of county utility bills by The Vindicator in March showed the county paid more than $10,000 in late fees in a 14-month period and received numerous shut-off notices.
The state auditor's office asked Cohen and Co., an accounting firm conducting the county's annual audit for the state, to include a review of the county's utility bill payment policy as part of the audit after the Vindicator report was published.
The audit will provide recommendations on ways to make its payment system run more smoothly.
Chronically late payments
The newspaper's analysis of the county's water and sewer, gas, electric and local telephone bills between January 2002 and February 2003 showed the county is chronically late with its payments.
The sheriff's department is responsible for about half of the more than $10,000 in late fees, and there doesn't appear to be a way to determine who is at fault for not paying bills on time because of the county's billing procedure.
Montgomery was in Youngstown on Tuesday to meet with local employees of the state auditor's office and county officials.
County officials told her their biggest challenge is funding justice services.
"All of our resources are for crime reaction and not for prevention and economic development," said county administrator Gary Kubic.
skolnick@vindy.com