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arking Funds Missing More than $133,000 Discrepancy in Debit Card Usage and Sales in Two Years Antoinette Vecchio NEWS EDITOR
Financial records of debit card revenue for fiscal years 1992 and 1993 reflect a more than $133,000 discrepancy, and a former Auraria Higher Education Center employee said as much as $150,000 has been taken in parking revenue the last two and a half years. Leslie Edwards was fired from her position as referee for AHEC's Parking and Public Safety division Nov. 19 and claims employee theft of cash in the debit card machines on campus has been ignored. Edwards said she believes she was fired not only because she knew of the theft, but also because she tried to do things to correct the problem. "They know who did it and they won't do anything about it, and they won't stop the employee theft," she said. Richard Alfultis, division director for Parking and Public Safety, said J\uraria Public Safety is conducting an investigation and will write a report on the results of that investigation. Until Alfultis receives the report, he said he will not speculate on what has happened in regard to the discrepancy, although he said it is.possible that someone is going into the machines and taking out money. According to financial records, $133,634 is unaccounted for from July 1, 1991 to June 30, 1993. The records show more money was taken off of debit cards at parking lot exit machines than was added on to debit cards at machines in campus buildings. Value is added to debit cards at three machines The Metropolitan/Andy Cross located in the Parking and Transportation Centre, the Student Union and the North Classroom Building, The Tran Allard, left, assistant systems and financial manager for Parking Services, accompanies Chuck value is then taken off the' card at parking lot exit Gillen, owner of Gillen Distributing, as he repairs the debit card machine in the Student Union. machines in the PTC, Lot D, Lot H and Lot K. deposits. ancy and hopes AHEC can identify the problem. The debit card system was put in place in January Williams said he plans to look into the discrepancy The debit card machines have been in place on 1991. Lot K began accepting debit cards in August and tell others at AHEC about the problem. Auraria campus for about two and a half years, 1992, and a debit card machine in the North Classroom King Trimble, chairman of the Auraria Board of Edwards said. Building was installed Oct. l, 1992, according to the Directors, said he was unaware of any discrepancies in There is no record of how much money is in a records. debit card revenue and said he does not recall the issue debit card machine when.money is being taken out, she AHEC controller Gary Williams said the reeords being brought up at any board meeting. said. look odd and are cause for concern. ' The machine comes with a round key to open the Trimble said that as chairman of the Auxiliary "I can see for any one week or I can even see for a Services Committee, which oversees many of Auraria's box and three control cards. One card prints a report but series of weeks that people would be using up the services including parking, he is the appropriate person does not give a total of money deposited, another money that they put on previously. But I cannot see it to contact about such an issue. clears the machine to read zero and a third reads how lasting over a period of months ....Somewhere it has to The amount of the discrepancy seemed to surprise much money.is in the machine, Edwards said. zero out," he said. Money can be removed from the machine without Trimble. The business office is separate from the parking "I'm sure I would have remembered that," he said. any record of how much money was collected, she said. office's accounting system, Williams said, and only Tran Allard, assistant systems and financial operaJoAnn Soker, executive vice president for verifies the amount of money the parking office says it Administration, said she has been aware of the discrepsee MONEY page 6
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