From the Bloomington Herald-Tribune:
The Benton Township Board voted to approve the trustee’s request to ask for increased spending allowances from the state in the wake of its recent financial difficulties and decreased spending limits for the 2012 year.
At a public meeting Tuesday night, Trustee Michelle Bright said the township has already spent more than half of its overall and fire budget allowances and surpassed its township assistance spending limit — formerly known as poor relief, used to help qualified residents with their utility bills — for the fiscal year. While the township has cash on-hand, the decrease in yearly spending limits could become problematic because of potential penalties from an Internal Revenue Service audit following the mistakes of her predecessor, Heather Cohee.
Cohee resigned her elected position in March when a state audit accused her of misappropriating $97,000 in public funds. The township also purchased a $287,000 firetruck under Cohee’s watch without going through the proper remonstrance period, which is required when a purchase is made that requires a tax increase. It is possible that the truck will have to be returned.
“We would be better off,” Bright said of why a spending limit increase would help, “but I don’t know if we’ll be OK for a few years.”
Bright is working through a mountain of paperwork from Cohee’s term as trustee, including reviews of past tax returns, an ongoing process which could take months. With her current budget, she said she believes she will be able to keep all utilities paid, “keeping the lights on” at township buildings and maintaining the payroll.
Last year, Benton was allowed $16,500 in township assistance, compared with only $3,500 in 2012. The township has surpassed that limit by about $5,000 and is requesting permission to spend up to $20,000.
The current spending limit for the fire department is $78,645, but, according to Bright, the township is requesting an additional $78,000 to be able to pay for its utilities and a $30,000 contract with Bloomington Township Fire Department for coverage.
http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2012/07/18/news.benton-township-seeks-to-increase-spending-limit-to-cover-overall-expenses-fire-department-budget.sto
