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The USD 353 Board of Education (BOE) has been butting heads with Sumner County officials for the last several months over a tax issue that may end up costing the district hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It is alleged by the BOE that Sumner County Treasurer, Carolyn Heasty, has made several tax-distribution errors over the last 18 months, resulting in a countywide total of one million dollars. These errors have purportedly led to the budget issues for USD 353 and three other as yet unnamed school districts in the county.
Heasty, as County Treasurer, is responsible for distributing funds collected from local taxes to school districts all around Sumner County, with the distributions being scheduled by the state Government.
The BOE was informed on Sept. 22, 2011 that Treasurer Heasty had over-distributed almost $380,000 to USD 353 during the previous two school years, and that a portion of their scheduled September contribution had been held back in an attempt to reclaim some of those funds.
In the weeks that followed, Heasty and representatives from the BOE met in hopes of figuring out how much the school district had been overpaid and how the situation could be remedied. After several discussions, no agreement was reached and Heasty continued to withhold funds.
In response, the BOE asked for a new independent audit of county finances to substantiate claims on both sides of the conflict at the county’s expense.
Berryman said the way the situation has been handled thus far has “…Completely eroded any confidence in the tax distribution…” the Board had.
Commissioner Steve Warner defended Heasty and the work of the previous auditors, claiming a new audit would not only be redundant, but also an offense to their work and the Commissioners themselves.
In past discussions, the commissioners have agreed to give the school district the money that had been withheld, but only under the condition the Board dropped its demand for a new audit.
Local CPA Kenneth Cooper’s firm initially found the mistake during an audit of the county’s 2010 finances. After discovering the incorrect data, Cooper filed a letter with the County Commissioners, informing them of the problem and of how it happened.
It was agreed at the meeting that Cooper will speak with one of the BOE’s own auditors-- Tom Thomas, of Emporia-- and compare their findings. No official date has been set for the meeting, but both parties agreed it was in their best interests to set the meeting as quickly as possible.
If no agreement is reached, the Commissioners and the BOE will meet again to speak about the possibility of conducting a new independent study of Sumner County’s tax information, at an estimated cost of $50,000.
The USD 353 Board of Education (BOE) has been butting heads with Sumner County officials for the last several months over a tax issue that may end up costing the district hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It is alleged by the BOE that Sumner County Treasurer, Carolyn Heasty, has made several tax-distribution errors over the last 18 months, resulting in a countywide total of one million dollars. These errors have purportedly led to the budget issues for USD 353 and three other as yet unnamed school districts in the county.
Heasty, as County Treasurer, is responsible for distributing funds collected from local taxes to school districts all around Sumner County, with the distributions being scheduled by the state Government.
The BOE was informed on Sept. 22, 2011 that Treasurer Heasty had over-distributed almost $380,000 to USD 353 during the previous two school years, and that a portion of their scheduled September contribution had been held back in an attempt to reclaim some of those funds.
In the weeks that followed, Heasty and representatives from the BOE met in hopes of figuring out how much the school district had been overpaid and how the situation could be remedied. After several discussions, no agreement was reached and Heasty continued to withhold funds.
In response, the BOE asked for a new independent audit of county finances to substantiate claims on both sides of the conflict at the county’s expense.
Berryman said the way the situation has been handled thus far has “…Completely eroded any confidence in the tax distribution…” the Board had.
Commissioner Steve Warner defended Heasty and the work of the previous auditors, claiming a new audit would not only be redundant, but also an offense to their work and the Commissioners themselves.
In past discussions, the commissioners have agreed to give the school district the money that had been withheld, but only under the condition the Board dropped its demand for a new audit.
Local CPA Kenneth Cooper’s firm initially found the mistake during an audit of the county’s 2010 finances. After discovering the incorrect data, Cooper filed a letter with the County Commissioners, informing them of the problem and of how it happened.
It was agreed at the meeting that Cooper will speak with one of the BOE’s own auditors-- Tom Thomas, of Emporia-- and compare their findings. No official date has been set for the meeting, but both parties agreed it was in their best interests to set the meeting as quickly as possible.
If no agreement is reached, the Commissioners and the BOE will meet again to speak about the possibility of conducting a new independent study of Sumner County’s tax information, at an estimated cost of $50,000.
