A business recruiter hoping for more than $200,000 in city funding next week came under fire Tuesday by board members asked to approve a monthly financial statement.
The statement is among several financial documents prepared for board approval each month by McAlester Economic Development Service accountant Walter Bethune. Tuesday, the board voted 8-3 to approve the financial report after the board’s treasurer and staff members were unable to explain discrepancies in year-to-date figures for some categories. Many were $0 figures under the YTD column, although funds had been spent for the category.
“Like trade shows, have we not done any trade shows?” asked board member Amy Johns.
“We did. We went to one,” MEDS Director Jim Mills said. “I don’t know that she put it under ‘trade shows’ though. She may have put it under ‘travel’ of some kind.”
Mills referred to Sharon Taylor, who works for MEDS accountant Bethune.
“Because according to this it looks like, ‘Wow, we’re way, way under budget,’” Johns said. “But I guess that money is somewhere else, correct?”
No one could define under what budget item the trade show funds had been expensed, although Bethune later showed up to answer board questions. Bethune said he categorizes expenses where he thinks they should go, unless he is directed to do otherwise.
MEDS is asking the city council to approve an annual contract worth $219,849 in funding. Noble Miller, board treasurer, said the contract is up for approval at the council’s meeting on Tuesday.
“If we overspent in one budgeted area, we overspent,” board member Jack Inman said. “But we underspent in some other budgeted area. It needs to be in the right area, so you understand if you overspend in marketing, well then you underspend in something else.”
Voting against approval of the financial report were Tom Bledsoe, of Komar, Barbara Gilbertson, of Eastern Oklahoma State College McAlester Campus, and Johns, of the McAlester News-Capital. Voting to approve the report were Inman, Chairman Dr. Kenneth Miller, Noble Miller, Kenny Edwards of Americinn, Lee Anderson of McAlester Radio, Steve Benefield of Choctaw Manufacturing, Brian Lott of McAlester Army Ammunition Plant and Darryl Wright, of Newfield Exploration.
Before presenting the financial report, Noble Miller said he had reviewed it thoroughly on Monday in preparation for the meeting. After Tuesday’s discussion, he assured the board that no money is being misspent.
“I don’t think that’s what this is about,” Johns responded. “I think this is about formatting.
“I’m not questioning anybody’s honesty. None of that. Just for people like me to understand it, I would like those monies to be put in those categories so then I’ll know, ‘Oh, we spent X amount of dollars on trade shows. Do we need more? Do we need not as much?’
“I’m not accusing. I’m just serving.”
Although he voted to approve the report, Inman said he agreed.
“We are not going to be able to write a correct budget next year if we don’t really know what we spent on budgeted lines,” he said.
Dr. Miller and Noble Miller said they would meet with Bethune and report back to the board next month.
Contact Kandra Wells at kwells@mcalesternews.com.
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