Center will do its own payroll

The Counseling Center was once part of the mental health services board.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
LISBON -- With the new year, The Counseling Center, a private nonprofit corporation, will begin handling its own payroll, a task that has been done by the Columbiana County auditor.
Columbiana County commissioners mentioned the change Friday when the panel's last financial action of 2005 was approval of a county budget commission request for transfer of $73,729 to The Counseling Center account.
County Auditor Nancy Milliken said the change in services was made at The Counseling Center's request. Milliken said she sought and received the approval of the state auditor's office and the county prosecutor for the facility to handle its own payroll and other disbursements. She said The Counseling Center has the staff in place to handle that work.
Other duties
The center employs 155 people, and Milliken said not processing that payroll will give the payroll staff time for other duties.
She could not tell commissioners how much time her staff devotes to The Counseling Center's finances.
Commissioners said the practice of county auditor's employees processing payroll and other checks for the center is a leftover practice from the days when The Counseling Center was part of the Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, and had the same director. Separating the two mental health agencies began in the 1980s, Commissioner Sean Logan said.
Services the same
Roger Sikorszky, center director, said the staff handling the additional financial duties will not change any structure or services of The Counseling Center.
He said handling payroll and other check-writing duties will create more work for the staff, but at the same time, those financial transactions can be done more quickly because they don't have to go through the auditor's office.
He emphasized the move improves The Counseling Center's ability to do business and was not done out of any dissatisfaction with the auditor's office. In fact, he praised the efforts of the auditor's staff and said, "Our relationship with the county has been excellent."