Auditor’s office moving forward with no deputy auditor

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After Galion City Council voted down an ordinance to add a deputy auditor to the city auditor’s office during a special council meeting on Tuesday, plans to push the issue forward are on hold.

Auditor Brian Treisch said on Tuesday that he recently hired two clerks for his office, Eunice Collene and April Amens. Plans to move Collene into the position of deputy auditor were thwarted when council voted 4 to 2 against the addition of the position.

“There will be no changes to the office staff at this time. We are continuing to operate with two administrative clerks as we have in the past,” said Treisch.

Treisch had said during Tuesday night’s special city council meeting that the addition of a deputy auditor could help the city be released from fiscal emergency because of the continuity of the employment of the person hired for the position. Treisch is an elected official while the person hired as a deputy auditor would be a permanent one.

Galion resident and former city law director Roberta Wade said that since the position is a fiduciary one and not protected by the city’s union, a new auditor could terminate the employment of the person hired by Treisch.

“So where is the continuity in that,” Wade said.

Council member Jim Hedges said that he wants to know how many people are actually needed to work in the auditor’s office.

“The city is paying for two clerks, an auditor and the two people from the state auditor’s office. That adds up to around $145,000 per year,” said Hedges.

Treisch said the city does not pay Miller or the other person from the state auditor’s office, but council president Carl Watt said the city does pay a fee each year to the state for services from the state auditor’s office while in fiscal emergency. Treisch said that figure is $25,000 per year.

Belinda Miller, who oversees the city’s finances for the state, said that the contract amount the city owes each year is $25,000 for GAAP services but the city only pays for hours used. She said the city’s charges over the last five years are: $21,075 for 2014, $21,285 for 2013, for 2012, the city was charged $13,165, $15,080 for 2011 and $19,630 for 2010. The amount the city was charged for 2015 is not available yet.

Miller said in addition to the GAAP services, the city must pay for the contract for fiscal emergency which is $35,000 per year but again, the city is only charged for hours used. Those charges to the city for the past six years are as follows:

2015 – $29,690

2014 – $33,795

2013 – $15,500

2012 – $15,565

2011 – $17,540

2010 – $21,945

Figures were not readily available for how much the city has been charged for fiscal emergency services by the state since the city was placed into fiscal emergency is 2004.

By Kimberly Gasuras

[email protected]

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