State audit: Franklin Township fiscal officers overpaid themselves by more than $10,000
The Ohio Auditor's office, in a new audit report, accuses Franklin Township's current assistant fiscal officer and two previous fiscal officers of overpaying themselves over five years.
Between Jan. 8, 2018 and Dec. 31, 2022, Robyn Watkins filled out timesheets and/or timecards to record hours worked for each pay period, overpaying herself $9,171, the report alleges.
According to the audit, Watkins had access to modify the payroll system and regularly input her own compensatory time into the township’s payroll system. She also had the ability to work overtime and receive comp time in lieu of time-and-a-half overtime payments.
"She wasn't taking her (required half-hour) lunch break and was being paid for it," said Trustee John Fleshman, who said he had suspicions about financial problems for years and contacted the auditor and county prosecutor to investigate more than six years ago.
"When I started looking around, we were getting late payments on bills, and I wondered how this could be happening, knowing that the money is there," said Fleshman, serving his third trustee term.
Voicemails left for Watkins at the township fiscal office Wednesday morning were not immediately returned.
According to the audit, on Feb.15, 2018, the board of trustees required all overtime to be approved by the board; however, there was no documentation of the board's approval of Watkins' overtime work, and she periodically received payment for unused comp time.
Watkins, who works fulltime, has an annual salary of about $42,000.
The overpayment was due to a lack of monitoring by the board and fiscal officer, combined with Watkins unrestricted access to the payroll system, according to the audit.
Fleshman said he tried to share his concerns. "Unfortunately they went nowhere," he said.
Under Ohio law, all public officials are legally liable for all public money received by themselves or theirsubordinates.
Former Franklin Township fiscal officers Lisa Morris and Mary Rhinehart were responsible for authorizing Watkins' unearned comp time payments and also will be liable for $7,818 and $663, respectively, payable either personally or by their bonding company, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America.
The audit report concluded that the overspending did not warrant criminal prosecution.
Officials in Franklin Township, which covers much of the unincorporated area south and east of Interstates 270 and 70 and north and west of Route 315, has an annual budget of about $10 million, most of it funding police and fire departments. It encompasses the Westland Mall area and pockets of Franklinton and Hilltop.
Fleshman said controls have been put in place and a CPA consultant hired to help.
"We have made sure that Franklin Township residents neve have to worry about this again," he said.
dnarciso@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: State audit: Franklin Twp. fiscal officers overpaid selves over $10K
