Saturday, December 29, 2007
The superintendent says he wasn’t trying to mislead people.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON — The Columbiana County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities has been seeking more money, even though it is well in the black.
The board is ending this year with $6.6 million in assets. The board spends about $12 million a year.
It’s unusual for public bodies to end the year with half a year’s budget in the bank.
William Devon, the board’s superintendent, has been saying tight finances could lead the board to close its Robert Bycroft School for youths, which is not required by law.
That would require local school districts to pick up the costs — a fear educators mentioned several times to U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown during a town hall meeting in November.
Voters in May approved a change in an existing levy that will give the board an additional $1 million a year. The board collects four levies.
Voters in November rejected a new 2.5-mill levy that would have given the board an additional $3.3 million a year. That issue has already been put on the 2008 primary by the county commissioners.
If approved, that would give the board close to a full year’s budget in the bank.
Still, local district school officials said Devon recently told them his board may pass on $1 million in costs to them.
Devon said Friday his agency “panicked” when revenue dropped.
The board ended 2005 with $8.2 million. That dropped to $7.2 in 2006, and to $6.3 million as of Dec. 11.
Devon said the board tries to project spending for one year beyond the current year. That projection, he said, indicated the board would have $4 million in its coffers.
In July, Devon spoke to The Vindicator about the proposed fifth levy.
“We probably need more than we are asking,” he said.
Devon also told The Vindicator, “We try to do the most we can for people. We’re very prudent with our money.”
When asked if the information may have been misleading, Devon said: “I didn’t want to try to mislead people.”
Devon said there were several options to correct the situation, including removing one of the existing levies from collection or not passing the costs back to the school districts.
Devon said he would make the situation “right.”
Devon said he did not know the board’s cost for the primary election, but said the general election did not cost the board any money.
Devon said he would explain the situation to his board.
School officials — who did not want to comment — began their own investigation of the board’s finances.
County Auditor Nancy Milliken provided them with the balances in the board’s accounts.
A few superintendents from area districts are to meet with Devon, who is the former treasurer of the mental retardation board.
Several treasurers for the school districts will also meet to review the retardation board’s spending.
The county commissioners could not be reached for comment on Friday.
wilkinson@vindy.com