STRUTHERS Officials waiting for audit results

City officials think employees may have been overpaid as far back as 1975.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
STRUTHERS -- Although Auditor Tina Morelli told city council state auditors are likely still investigating city payroll records, council voted to petition state auditors to release the 2003-04 audit.
Mayor Daniel C. Mamula and city council members are concerned about the audit results because they have been waiting on them for more than a year. Twenty-five to 30 current and former city employees have received certified letters from the state auditor that possible findings for recovery may be issued against them for being overpaid in 2003 and 2004. City officials believe employees may have been overpaid as far back as 1975.
Morelli thinks the audit is complete except for the payroll investigation. She said auditors were in the city June 12 to Oct. 3, 2005, conducting the audit. She said auditors asked her for more information for that investigation as late as April.
Some council members believe Morelli has been instructed by state auditors to begin collecting some of the money from city employees, and has failed to do so.
Morelli said state auditors told her not to take any action until they complete the audit investigation.
"I can't take anything from anyone's pay," Morelli said. "When I am directed by the state auditor to do nothing, that's what I'm going to do."
Morelli said she talked to state auditors Tuesday and they gave her the same information she got from them six weeks ago, "because that's all they have."
She said payroll questions are not just related to 2003 and 2004, and that the payroll investigation "is in legal hands in Columbus."
Criticism
Former council president Robert Carcelli said passing a resolution to petition the auditors to release the audit is unnecessary, and city officials should be focusing on more important issues in the city, such as fighting crime.
He said all the clamor over the audit is "a witch hunt" and "a disgrace to the city."
"To try to make this a political issue is a joke," he said.
Councilman-at-large Terry Stocker said the resolution serves no purpose. He said the audit is probably taking such a long time because of the payroll issue, and state auditors need to be allowed to do their work without pressure tactics.
Councilman-at-large Jerry Shields said he is concerned about the people waiting to see if they have to pay money back.
"People want to know, do they owe, or don't they?" he said. Council, the administration, and more importantly, the people, want closure on this. I've never seen an audit take a year."
Third Ward Councilman Dan Yemma said the resolution is "perfectly in order." He said council needs to know the results of the audit not just because of the payroll issue.
"This is not release of information in a timely manner," he said. "The finances of the city are important, and we need to know about this audit. There might be something in there we need to know to help us with the next audit."
The problem
Morelli has said the pay system Struthers used until she came into office in 2004 has caused the payroll problems. The system operations resulted in a 10-day lag at the end of the year, resulting in some employees receiving part of their December pay in January of the following year. She said the problem was made worse in years when there was an extra pay period.
Morelli said the system now does not have a "lag" pay and all salaried employees are paid their full salary in the correct calendar year.