Idyllwild Town Crier

Page 18 - Idyllwild Town Crier, November 12, 2009
IFPD
Continued from page 1
balances for reported assets in Footnote 3 of the
2007 audit are not equal to the reported balances
in the 2006 audit.
Marion provided no explanation why the 2004
and 2005 audits were delayed until November
2008 and March 2009, respectively. In response to
questions from Commissioner Ben Killingsworth,
Marion said the auditing work was dormant
from the fall of 2005 until it was resuscitated
last fall.
During this period, he claimed he made several
efforts to communicate with Craig or Janice
Coopersmith, IFPD bookkeepers.
“The information he needed was from here
[Idyllwild Fire Department],” responded Janice
Coopersmith. Fire Chief Steve Kunkle and the
chief financial officer, according to a 2004 commission
resolution, had no comment. Marion
acknowledged that he was reluctant to approach
Kunkle. “He’s a program guy, not financials.”
Answers regarding the audits’ costs remained
murky, too. For example, the original engagement
letter (essentially a contract between the agency
and the auditing firm) set the 2004 audit cost at
$7,100. The final cost was $9,100. Marion did not
explain the extra costs associated with the threeyear
delay, and no IFPD official questioned the
additional $2,000.
The billings for the 2008 audit already exceed
the agreed-to cost of $6,850 by nearly 10 percent.
For the five audits, Smith Marion & Co. has
billed IFPD nearly $41,500. More than half of the
billings have been submitted in 2009. In the first
nine months of 2009, the auditor has submitted
bills for more than $24,000. This amounts to
nearly 60 percent of the costs billed this year and
another $4,000 in the last two months of 2008.
IFPD has submitted some payments and Smith
Real Estate
Marion has applied these payments to the older
audits. Nevertheless, the firm claims IFPD still
owes more than $20,000 for the 2006, 2007 and
2008 audits. Work has not begun on the 2009
audit although the fiscal year ended more than
four months ago.
Marion did agree that using receivables and
payables would help the board oversee whether
funds were declining or possible future windfalls.
“It’s up to the district, but businesses usually
use this,” he said.
He added that a risk analysis would not identify
the lack of a purchase order system as a material
weakness, but Killingsworth and Kunkle both
endorsed the idea.
“I have no issue with a purchase order system,”
Kunkle told the board. “It would be good for the
program managers. It is easier to overrun line
items here and this would be a good thing.”
When Killingsworth recommended that the
agency’s special assessment monies be identified
Muirs Mountain Realty
Marge Muir, Broker Associate • 26115 A, Hwy 243, Idyllwild
Office: 951-659-8335 • Cell: 951-440-0114 • margemuir@idyllwild.com
OMA’s in the heart of the Village of Idyllwild.
Great opportunities - restaurant - bakery - Micro
Brewery - Outside dining? What is your idea? Offered
at $525,000 with owner finance on approx. 2/3
acre - fully equipped and ready. MLS#4907
VIEW LOT North Side
of Doubleview. Asking
$165,000. Boulders,
view, and perked.
12 ACRES Off Saunders
Meadow for just
$250,000.
OVER 1/2 ACRE off
Black Mtn in Pinewood
now $47,500
COULTER PINES PARK —
THE BEST
$57,500 One bedroom. Lge living area.
Storage shed. Space 45
$79,500 One bedroom, newly updated
interior, deck off the living room, storage.
Space 15
$179,000 Double-wide. As you step inside
you will think “condo.” An unbelievable
home.
David Marion, partner in Smith Marion & Co.,
the Idyllwild Fire Protection District’s (IFPD)
commission’s auditor, spoke at last week’s special
meeting. Roxanne Garcia, lead accountant on the
IFPD audit, accompanied Marion to the meeting.
Photo by J.P. Crumrine
BRAND NEW ... be the first to enjoy this lovely
new home. Every room is very spacious. Corner
fireplace, all new high standard appliances, 2 full
baths, 3 bedrooms. $289,000 MLS#4823
A SHORT DISTANCE
TO THE VILLAGE
you’ll find this tri-level
charmer ... Great vacation
home. 2 bedrooms,
den, fireplace ... so much
to see. Large lot with
seasonal creek ... asking
$319,000 MLS#4824
separately from the general property tax collections,
Marion reversed the request and said, “These are
your financial statements. Tell us what you like.”
Marion did make several other recommendations
such as employing a multiple fund approach
rather than a single fund.
Before the meeting ended, Commissioner Earl
Parker wanted Marion to assure him that no
financial problems occurred because of the lack
of audits.
“After all is said and done,” began Parker, “the
bottom line for audits and money is nobody is
beating us out of money.”
Marion could only say his teams discovered no
instances of misappropriation of funds or other
areas of errors. Parker replied, “I just want the
bottom line to be everything is OK.”
J.P. Crumrine can be reached at jp@towncrier.
com.
Story time at the library
The Idyllwild Library’s Children’s Story
Time is every Monday from 10:30 to 11 a.m.
Call the library at 659-2300 for more information.
DORA DILLMAN
Realtor-Associate
Village Center Offi ce
54274 North Circle Dr.
P.O. Box 243, Idyllwild, Ca 92549
E-mail: dora@lovethehill.com
www.lovethehill.com
MAGGIE MORPHETT
Realtor-Associate
“FROM PEAKS TO CREEKS, FOR
A WORRY-FREE TRANSACTION
SEE ME!”
Office: (951) 659-2125
Cell: (951) 316-5213
North Circle Office
54295 N. Circle Dr.
Idyllwild, CA 92549
In the offi ce directly across from the
Rustic Theatre on North Circle Drive
Cell: (951) 288-5604
Bus: (951) 659-3425
1-866-680-3425
Fax: (951) 659-0180
Above, Idyllwild Fire held
a training exercise last
Friday evening in the center
of town. Recruits walk
the ladder extending from
Truck 621 across Park
Lane to The Fort.
Photo by Jenny Kirchner
Live Your
Dream Art
Contest
Idyllwild School
is participating in
the second-annual
Live Your Dream Art
Contest by encouraging
students to
draw a present-day
woman who inspires
them.
Soroptimist International
is sponsoring
the contest, open
to both boys and
girls ages 4 to 18.
The woman can be
someone the student
knows personally or
not.
Finalists’ work
will be displayed
at LiveYourDream-
Campaign.org, and
winners will receive
$100, as will their
schools.
The contest is in
honor of International
Women’s Day
and Women’s History
Month, which
both take place in
March.
Contest rules may
be viewed at the Web
site. Deadline is Dec.
31.