Firemen can’t track expenditures
By: Sue Kramer
LAMBERTVILLE – Problems with software are making it difficult for officials of the Board of Fire Commissioners to track expenditures.
This has brought spending, even for emergency repairs, virtually to a halt.
Richard Anthes, purchasing agent and commissioner, told the board at its meeting Nov. 14 that while the program appears to be working properly on the surface, it is printing out nonexistent categories complete with phantom expenditures.
Mr. Anthes said he and Treasurer Kay Hayes have been trying unsuccessfully to find possible errant entries from earlier in the year that might account for the discrepancy.
Board clerk Mary Elizabeth Sheppard said she also would take a look at the program and try to find the problem.
Mr. Anthes requested the board table approving purchase orders for this month until he has a chance to make sure there is enough money remaining in the budget for each item. He said not all of the bills have been submitted yet for prior months’ purchases. When these bills are received and paid, he said, his concern is there might not be enough money left in specific line items of the budget to purchase the additional items.
He also pointed out none of the requisitioned items was critical or for emergency purchases.
Columbia Capt. Ricky Fleming requested the board approve his requisition for a radio battery anyway because one of the Columbia’s emergency radios has been inoperable for three months. Mr. Anthes explained that in holding up on the requisitions, he is trying to find out "What was done, and what was not done so we can move on," in regard to what has been ordered through the department’s radio officer.
He said again he has requisitions approved in the past and no record of the purchase having been made. He identified the "radio" area in particular as posing problems. He said he had asked the department’s radio officer to let him know what had and had not been ordered but hadn’t heard anything by Tuesday’s meeting.
Chairman Ronald Tillett said he would call the radio officer to get the accounting. Commissioner Robert Brown agreed this needed to be straightened out.
The Columbia also requested its requisition be approved for a repair to a turn signal on a fire truck that doesn’t turn off. Hibernia Capt. Mike Barlow asked if his purchase requests were being held up due to a concern about the availability of money in his budget. He explained he hadn’t used any of the allotted money and requested the purchase be approved.
When Chairman Tillett requested the purchase be made, Mr. Anthes pointed to a dozen requisitions and said, "I don’t feel that I want to break my neck at this juncture because I wasn’t handed this until quarter of seven this evening."
Mr. Anthes said he needs time to not only make sure the money is available for each purchase, but assign purchase order numbers, reference suppliers and check prices on the requested items. He said this causes a problem when he is not given the requisitions until 15 minutes before a meeting. He said in the past, David Owen, the former purchasing agent, attended the Board of Engineers meetings and took the requisitions home with him to work on. Now requisitions are dropped off shortly before the fire commission meeting, not allowing him the time to do the research.
Chairman Tillett said he would speak to the Board of Engineers secretary and explain Mr. Anthes needs the requisitions as soon as possible after the meeting.
In other business, Capt. Fleming asked if the generator on one of the Columbia’s trucks had been fixed and was operational. Commissioner Lester Myers said the repairman had been there to fix the generator but couldn’t find the maintenance book. The repairman left to find a maintenance book and never returned.
This incident opened up another line of discussion. It was reported that quite often no one is notified when someone is coming to make repair or a repair has been made to fire equipment. Mr. Anthes said he would call the company to expedite the repair to the generator.
The board also will be reminding the company to call or otherwise notify the appropriate person both before and after repairs have been made.
In another matter, Mr. Anthes said he picked up an application for the agency that sells surplus state property.
He said he has found this a very good source for certain things, citing office chairs selling for $10 and reduced costs on office supplies such as reams of paper. He also obtained information about approved state vendors.
He said while there is a $75 yearly membership fee, the board might benefit from the discounts and state contract prices that are offered. The board will be looking into both of these.