PITCAIRN – State auditors say Pitcairn needs to improve its claim auditing and recommended the more stringent processes.

The comptroller's office said the Board did not properly audit all claims prior to payment. Of 173 claims the office reviewed totaling $620,325, 96 claims totaling $207,884 had one or more exceptions. 

• 46 claims totaling $38,138 were paid without evidence of an audit and 26 claims totaling $15,593 did not include adequate supporting documentation. This increased the risk that claims could have been paid for inappropriate purposes. 
• 24 claims for diesel fuel totaling $66,516 and one paving claim totaling $99,691 were approved by the Board without evidence that competition was sought. Competition or the use of State contract could have saved money. For example, a State diesel fuel contract could have saved the Town about $3,000 on these purchases. 
• The Board improperly donated $1,500 to a volunteer group and paid utility bills totaling  $811 for a private organization. 

The comptroller’s officer recommended the following changes:

1. Conduct a thorough and deliberate audit of all claims prior to approving them for payment. 
2. Ensure the Town does not provide contributions or donations of public money to private entities or pay private entities’ expenses without a contract specifying what services the Town is to receive in return.

The Supervisor should:

3. Only pay claims that have been audited and approved by the Board, unless otherwise provided by law.
4. Contact the credit card company to request a change in the billing period and payment due date to better align with the Board’s monthly meetings.
5. Ensure the Town receives credit for the $500 duplicate payment.

The Highway Superintendent should:

6. Ensure purchases on OGS or county contracts are for products offered on the contracts and from vendors that were awarded the contracts.