CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — The board of directors for the Central West Virginia Transit Authority is attempting to implement measures to remedy questionable practices brought up in an audit of the bus service’s operations under previous leadership.
On Thursday, the board met with Deputy State Auditor Stuart Stickel and other representatives with the State Auditor’s Office.
“Our other board members had some questions regarding some of the type of expenses or items that were questionable to get better clarification so that we could then see the internal controls we put in place are handling those types of issues,” Jim Smith, board president said.
In response to the 53-page audit of Fiscal Year 2013-2014, which found 13 findings of possible ethics violations and the lack of proper controls, the current board has implemented new policies to provide a system of checks and balances for a variety of day-to-day operations.
“In the past, [the previous board] would process invoices and they wouldn’t be noting on the invoice that the invoice had been paid, and that’s something you want to do,” said. “It’s basically, in accounting terms, canceling the invoice, so you try to avoid a duplicate payment of the same invoice.”
The audit was requested after the board was completely overhauled in response resignations and public outcry over decisions of the previous board, which voted to hold the position of previous general manager John Aman while he served a 21-month federal sentence for bank fraud related to duties outside the scope of the bus service.
Several of the findings allege violations of State Code and the State Constitution. As a result, the audit was sent to Harrison County Prosecutor Rachel Romano, who told The Exponent Telegram it was then sent to State Police for investigation.
Other findings indicated possible violations of the the state Code of Ethics.
On Thursday, the board voted to send the audit to the State Ethics Commission for them to evaluate.
Anita Bower, the board member who made the motion, believes that the act of requesting an audit and then doing nothing with the findings would be a disservice.
“I think they need to look it over and make the decision of what should happen.”
She hoped that if it ethics violations were found, the proper punishments would be issued.
Other measures are being implemented in order to improve the public’s perception of the bus service.
A 10-page ethics policy has been presented to the board that aims to establish transparency in its operations.
“There’ll be additional supporting documents to that,” Smith said. “For example, we must sign a policy that you have no conflicts [of interest].”
The board has scheduled a meeting for next month to approve the ethics policy.