February 24, 2011
State audits cited increased risk of theft By PAUL COMSTOCK ThisWeek Community Newspapers Letters from the state auditor’s office, issued after routine audits of Grove City between 2001 and 2004, warned the city three times that its record-keeping and practices could increase the risk of theft or fraud. Those letters predate the city’s latest problems with unpaid federal income withholding taxes. In December, representatives of the Internal Revenue Ser-
vice said the city owed $685,905. More debt to the IRS was found soon afterward. City police investigating the unpaid taxes said they have found evidence of theft. The Grove City Record has obtained management letters sent by the state auditor to the city for the fiscal years 200102, 2002-03 and 2003-04. The 2001-02 letter said the city had a “significant listing” of budget items and written checks that remained
“long standing.” That situation “may allow for errors, irregularities and fraud to occur without the timely detection of management,” the letter said. The 2002-03 letter also cited a “significant listing” of “long standing” items. That situation, the letter said, “could lead to misstated bank or book balances or theft ...” The 2003-04 letter said 7 percent of park and recreation department receipts
were not deposited on the first business day following receipt, as required. “This weakness increases the risk that cash could be stolen or lost,” the letter said. The management letter for 2004-05 lists no mention of theft risk. It does, however, recommend the city revise its computer password policies and network review procedures. Failure to adopt adequate policies and procedures, the letter said, “could lead to an unauthorized individual gaining access to the system and accidentally or intentional-
ly deleting or altering ... data.” Essentially the same warning about computer passwords appeared in the 2006-07 management letter. The management letters also address a number of other recommendations and each notes “the limited nature of our audit.” Memorandums written by then-city administrator Sharon Reichard and dated Sept. 14 and 17, 2007, listed several See STATE AUDITS, page A6
New pet HAVING A BLAST food pantry lends a helping paw By LISA AURAND ThisWeek Community Newspapers Patty Crawford doesn’t want to see families forced to give up pets because of the bad economy. She has created a pet food pantry, following up on an idea she had last fall. “I heard on the news about people having to abandon their pets and people having to return their pets” because of financial trouble, said Crawford, who has a 13-year-old shih tzu named Fergie. “I thought, ‘Why doesn’t someone have a pet pantry?’ and then I thought, ‘Why don’t I do a pet pantry?’” Crawford said. “It’s just tragic to hear on the news about the recession. Today your pet is like your family and you hate to see something like that have to happen, so hopefully this will help.” Crawford turned to her husband, John Crawford, who owns John Crawford Radiator Services. He offered a corner of the radiator shop to house the pantry. “We had a spare room in the shop,” she said. With the help of her husband and a friend, Kimmy Bird, Crawford worked on setting up the pantry as a nonprofit organization and building up a stock of pet food. So far, all donations are from local indi-
By Todd Seimer/ThisWeek
Central Crossing fans cheer on their team during a basketball game at Central Crossing High School on Feb. 18
See NEW PET FOOD PANTRY, page A2
Council hears outdoor seating Local resident gets request from new restaurant innovation award By LISA AURAND ThisWeek Community Newspapers Grove City Council was expected to vote to approve outdoor seating at a town center restaurant and a McDowell Road drive-through liquor store at its Feb. 22 meeting. The city planning commission recommended approval for both ordinances, clerk of council Tami Kelly said. A new restaurant at 3985 Broadway in the town center at the former home of Josiah’s Restaurant, is seeking a special permit for outdoor seating. “There’s kind of a driveway that runs between it and the old hardware store, and they’re proposing to put in a restaurant with outdoor seating wrap-
A closer look Planning commission members placed a few stipulations on their recommendation for approval. The restaurant must follow the city’s landscape code. Umbrellas used on the patio must not include signs of any kind, and no music may be piped onto the patio.
ping around the building through what now looks like a drive aisle,” Kelly said. “Their property line goes to the center of the space, and they’re proposing to close that off and use it for outdoor seating.”
DIRECTORY
Grove City resident Chester Jourdan and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission were honored this month with an innovation award at the TechColumbus Innovation Awards ceremony. More than 50 judges picked MORPC from among 16 nominees to receive an Innovation Award for Innovation in NonProfit Service Delivery for the new Franklin County Location Based Response System — a centralized database of addresses and road centerline information. “It’s really an award that went to our staff here at MORPC,” Jourdan said. “(LRBS) allows us to add address and road data that can be used for government services as well as safety and 911 emergency services.” The Geographic Information System file is linked so municipalities can update
the map themselves. The information will be valuable to emergency personnel, among other agencies, Jourdan said. “Their services and response times would be based on that particular data,” he said. “This is just the first phase in a longterm project that we think is going to have significant benefits for central Ohio.” Jourdan, who joined MORPC in December 2006, credited his coworkers at MORPC for their work on developing LRBS. “It’s a great collaboration between the staff and our local community,” he said. Jourdan, 51, moved to Grove City in 2006 when he secured a job as executive director of MORPC. He and his wife, Cheryl, are both originally from Texas and his older daughter, Casey Stafford, still lives there.
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See LOCAL, page A2 Bonnie is up for adoption at All Tails ‘R’ Waggin in Pataskala. Her brother recently found a home but she is still waiting. To see a video of Bonnie, visit www.ThisWeekNews. com. For more information on adopting Bonnie, visit alltails.com or call (740) 927-0555.
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Planning commission members placed a few stipulations on their recommendation for approval. The restaurant must follow the city’s landscape code. Umbrellas used on the patio must not include signs of any kind, and no music may be piped onto the patio. “We want to make sure everything is complimentary … to keep the flavor of the town center,” Kelly said. In addition, the owners must remove the curb cut in that area to make it clear to motorists that the driveway is now closed. The planning commission also recommended approval for a special use permit allowing Buckeye Beverage Bay & Fine Wine to have a drivethrough at 4170 McDowell Road.
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