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What is this?
Loader not a laughing matter
Published Thursday, February 21, 2008
After nearly a year of digging, head scratching and a little suspicion quietly thrown around, Adams County’s missing front-end loader issue finally died Tuesday morning.
As it turns out the “missing” loader was sold at auction more than eight years ago.
Shoddy records keeping, however, allowed the transaction to occur without the removal of the loader from the county’s equipment inventory list.
The issue became comical in many circles. Missing front-end loader jokes became good water cooler talk.
But the issue isn’t a laughing matter.
While it may seem like a minor issue, it isn’t. The front-end loader costs tens of thousands of dollars.
Given the value of such a piece of equipment, the simple bookkeeping mistake, if not isolated to this one instance, could be nearly as serious as the mess left by the previous circuit clerk’s bookkeeping woes.
Fortunately, in this case, it appears nothing was actually stolen, but it could have been. Worse, the potential theft could have gone unnoticed for more than eight years.
We’re glad Supervisor S.E. “Spanky” Felter latched onto the problem and wouldn’t let it drop until it was resolved.
The county’s equipment is your equipment, Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer.
And you deserve to know where it is at all times. If fact, the county’s annual audit should include a physical check of all equipment and other assets.
That’s commonplace in business audits and should be commonplace for the business of our county, too.
If someone signed off on audits stating that the equipment was there when it wasn’t, they need to be held accountable for their actions.
County leaders would be wise to put in steps to prevent this in the future, before we wake up eight years down the road and find another valuable piece of equipment has vanished.
Comments
Posted by justurgirlnextdoor (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 1:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This has to be the most stupidest thing I have ever heard..
Makes you wonder whatelse the Adams County bookkeepers have messed up on...
Maybe they should hire new bookeepers. Someone who can attention to what they are doing.
Posted by shedevil (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 4:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think they should replace all of the bookkeppers from cathy walker on down.sounds like they are just drawing a pay check & not doing their job.thanks for the good work spanky
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 6:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I still say that Sylvia Bunch deserves a pay raise and a pat on the back for all of here efforts to solve the ordeal. Yesterdays headline said "Supes solve mystery...." well we all can read and see that it was not a supe that did it, Ms. Bunch did it. I understand that Spanky would not let it go and I pat him on the back for that, but I think that the person that solved it should be rewarded.
Posted by buttercup26 (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 7:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Spanky good going!! but i have to laugh ya'll!!
matter fact i'm almost falling out hte chair! 8 years huh?? hhahahaha!! haha
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on February 21, 2008 at 7:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Pats on the back, pay raises, etc!
I do not think so!
Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 7:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
True Redman, Sylvia deserves some credit.
Posted by kpage (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 9:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Amen, redman!!!! Give credit where credit is due!!!!! I wonder how much time and energy Ms. Bunch put out to find this equipment? Bless her heart. At least we know who is behind the actual fact finding here so we can applaud the right person.
Posted by LdyBreez (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 9:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have a few questions but I'm afraid it would make more work for Sylvia ...
If this machine that cost 10's of thousands of dollars was sold, didn't someone see a rather large influx of funds into the city/county coffers? Didn't someone ask where these funds came from? Even with poor book keeping records in one area, they can be caught in another area.
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 9:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ldybreez, I wonder the same thing. In accounting terms, lets just say there should have been checks andd balances in the department. Debits and Credits should have been checked and the balance sheet should have shown the income and the depreciation on the equipment. Maybe there needs to be some soul searching in Natchez and just maybe....an outside forensic accountant to come in and help find what the county really has on the books. I am NOT saying that anybody has done anything wrong on purpose, but maybe there have been mistakes made that need to be righted in the accounting in the past.
Posted by silly_willy_24_7 (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 9:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
LdyBreez, you make a good point, but poor bookkeeping around this area will only get your picture in the paper and get you talked about. just ask binky.
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on February 21, 2008 at 10:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
When you look at the sale of the loader in isolation, it is hard to understand how this fiasco happened. It was one of many transactions and interruptions. However, if you are up to your butt in alligators, it may not occur to you to drain the pond.
What makes this so troubling is the time period? Parts were ordered for the loader or at least, the loader number was found on a parts order long after it was sold? How many physical inventories of equipment were made and this loader stayed on the inventory sheet?
Yes, thanks to the county employees for correcting the mistake but folks, pats on the back, suggested raises, etc are not appropriate for this situation.
Posted by readingthepaper (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 12:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is from the Jan 15th article on the missing loader-
Road Manager for Adams County Clarence “Curlee” Jones has his own theory about what has happened to the machine.
“It’s not missing at all,” he said.
Jones said the county never had six loaders but instead only had five to begin with.
Jones’ department was in charge of the now missing machine.
Jones said the county sold one loader under the direction of former Road Manager Russell Dorris and never removed it from its inventory.
This would have happened around 1999 or 2000 Jones said.
In addition, Jones said if parts were purchased under the serial number for the missing loader, in 2004, that would not necessarily prove it was in the county.
Jones said since all the county’s loaders were the same model parts for one machine would fit all the others.
If I remember correctly, i think it was SUPERTRUCKER who was so adamant that Mr. Jones himself had stole the loader...I guess Mr. Jones can hold his breath on an apology.
Posted by quest (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 2:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe I missed this information, but I wonder how much the loader sold for? pennies on the dollar?
Posted by squeetlebomb (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 3:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If it was sold 8 yrs ago does anyone know where the money went to?
Posted by Annebelle (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Probably don't know who bought it either...????
Posted by roberth33 (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 4:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
yeah so they found out that it was sold--that is only half the story Demo. What happened to the money?????
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 4:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Don't know about other places but every where I worked in my life span has always demanded a monthly inventory. What happened here? Some heads need to roll off the county pay roll. I could keep better books than that in my sleep. Keep looking Spanky, maybe you can find the money.
Posted by buttercup26 (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 8:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
wait?? what effort?? picking up a phone and calling in the vin number of the back hoe thing or whatever it is. yes that can take al little work i'll give her kudos.. but a machine like that has a 'tracking number' i'm sure if some one would of called earlier then it would've be known it's location sooner.. right??? please correct me if i'm wrong!! don't things like that have vin numbers? don't it just take a phone call to a couple people to check it out???
Posted by peaceout (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 10:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Gemcull is right at 7:27.
Posted by Prayingforachange (anonymous) on February 22, 2008 at 11:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm glad it's solved.....great job Ms. Bunch and Mr. Jones
Posted by texasranger (anonymous) on February 22, 2008 at 1:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When have crooks and theives cared about what we think or even some don,t care if their caught. They just get another job and keep on stealing. Like the Adams county clerk. If i robbed a train would you hire me as a security guard.????
Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on February 22, 2008 at 11:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes, it all boils down to poor management on the part of the Staff of the County Government! Loader finally disposed of? Where's the money, yes the accountability of the thousands of dollars! Thanks to Mr. Felter ! Please note that this action occurred after the Watt's "Team" took over!
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