Overpaid Canfield Township officials paid money back after audit investigation

October 2, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

By ROBERT CONNELLY

CANFIELD

Canfield Township officials have paid back the township $14,090 in improper salary expenditures made earlier this year, according to a state auditor’s report.

Bob Hinkle, chief deputy auditor with the state office, explained that Canfield Township identified its budget as $6 million, whereas the auditor’s investigation showed it was $5,485,505.

“I won’t say it’s common — but it’s not a surprise,” Hinkle said. “Their compensation is determined by statute and the [state] Revised Code, and they get paid based on the budget.”

The overpayments stemming from the inflated budget, and pay back, were among findings for recovery released by the auditor’s office Tuesday. The auditor who did the report “haphazardly selected one payroll check for five employees from 2013 and one payroll check for five employees from 2012,” the document states.

This led to the discrepancies in pay found this past summer.

The difference was paid back by the fiscal officer, Carmen Heasley; and the three trustees from 2013, current Trustees Marie Cartwright and Stephen Maszczak and former Trustee Anthony Bettile. Heasley paid back her $3,134 June 25 while the three trustees from 2013 paid back their amount, $3,652 each, Aug. 1.

“There are times when townships have added other resources in and not used the proper [budget] certificate, and they might have used their budget expenditures,” Hinkle explained as reasons why this can happen. “They just used the wrong document to determine the amount of pay.”

Township officials could not be reached Wednesday.