by Ivan Foley
Landmark editor
A change in the time frame to be covered in the 2009 audit of the Platte County Regional Sewer District was approved by the PCRSD trustees last week.
At the board’s regular monthly meeting last Wednesday night, board member Deb Hammond gave a report about the progress of a two-person committee appointed to lead the search for Chuck Reineke’s replacement. Last month, Reineke resigned the position of executive director of the sewer district.
Hammond said she and fellow committee member Aaron Jung have looked at personnel policies and the employee handbook.
“I was shocked to see that employee policies have not been updated since 1995,” Hammond said.
“In talking to recruiters, we are in a situation where people will need reassurance from this board that we acknowledge that we need to look at things and release a new executive director from being held responsible for anything that happened prior to their arrival,” Hammond said.
“Any good candidate is going to request a management letter to acknowledge that we may be out of compliance in some areas,” she added, asking that the annual audit for 2009 be extended to include activity up until March 10 of this year.
McCaw said she has no problem with seeking a management letter, but that she “had issues with some of the wording” in a resolution proposed by Hammond.
“The way it is worded now is damaging to Mr. Reineke’s reputation, which I don’t think is right,” McCaw maintained.
Hammond countered that “this resolution would not be before this board if not warranted.”
A representative from the hired auditor’s office was in the audience and explained the district has consistently been noted for internal control issues. The auditor’s representative said “there is opportunity or access that should be more limited.”
She then suggested the resolution be brought up again for discussion after the board held an executive session later in the meeting.
Following the executive session, the board voted to approve the resolution Hammond had initially presented, with a change to call for the 2009 audit be extended to cover the timeframe ending March 31, 2010.
“Resolved that the annual audit of the district by RSM McGladrey for 2009 be extended and updated to and including March 31, 2010 and that such extended and updated audit report include a management letter,” the resolution reads in part.
The resolution also calls for a committee of two trustees to “review and make recommendations to the board of trustees for updating and revising the district rules and regulations, personnel policies and employment handbook, the district collection practices and internal accounting, banking and financial and administrative controls as may be deemed necessary or desirable by the committee in consultation with legal counsel and the auditors, with approval by the board of trustees.”
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