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Hampshire County Development Authority gets good audit report
ROMNEY - Hampshire County Development Auth-ority received a good audit report for 2006 from the state with only minor findings, Director Les Shoemaker reported to the county commissioners.
Shoemaker presented a quarterly financial statement of the authority's activities and a one-page summary of the agency's responses to the findings in the state audit.
"We had no findings in our federal audit," he added, noting that this year's audit of the authority will be included in the county audit.
The state audit indicated the authority did not have an adequate segregation of duties for employees. Shoemaker explained that with only two employees, many duties are handled by board members.
He said the executive committee requires office staff to segregate financial matters in three ways. The executive assistant prepares all accounts payable for the director to review and initial any bills to be paid. The treasurer reviews checks from various accounts and initials the check stubs and invoices for payment.
At least two of the four officers of the organization must sign all checks.
He said that credit card payments made by staff for legitimate expenses are reviewed and checked against receipts before payment by check. Deposits are reviewed by staff, and both accounts payable and receivable are entered in the computerized accounting software and sent to an independent account firm.
Shoemaker said they are working on getting more timely financial reports with the accounting firm.
The development authority also has been working with officials in Grant and Hardy counties to support legislation for a budget item that would fund a rail spur into the industrial park.
Later in the meeting, Bob Mayhew, who serves on the board of the Potomac Eagle, said that they have met with Sen. Walt Helmick and others to request the funding.
"If we can get the spur to the industrial park then we can get moving on a rail center there," he said.
The commissioners, Shoemaker, Mayhew and County Compliance Officer Charles Baker also discussed water and sewer issues in the county.
Baker said the county infrastructure committee wants to move forward with the interconnector project that would tie Central Hampshire's mountainous area sewage to the Romney wastewater plant. A study of a potential sewer project on North River is also planned at a cost of $35,000.
Mayhew said that while he supports the North River study, he thought Capon Bridge should be a priority and the development authority has a great spring with plenty of water.
He said that Central Hampshire Public Service District could purchase the facilities from the development authority and get that agency out of the water and sewer business so that it can do what it was intended to do, which is economic development.
He said that Capon Bridge has the wastewater treatment capabilities that could be developed by the PSD and expanded.
"I think that's more important than North River but the study is the way to go," he said.
Commissioner Robert Hott agreed, saying, "We want to be looking at the whole county."
Mayhew also suggested that someone from Capon Bridge be appointed to the PSD board.
It was also pointed out that the siting of a new hospital that has been proposed by Valley Health, which operates the current Hampshire Hospital, could be beneficial in funding the interconnector project.
Baker said the interconnector is a $2.5 million project, $500,000 of which will need to come from the county for construction.
Contact Mona Ridder at mridder@times-news.com.
