Forks Cuts Recreation Board's Petty Cash Fund in Half

The Forks Township Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 in favor of changing the amount petty cash available to the township Recreation Board and closing the bank account to which the funds are drawn.

Supervisor Lilly Gioia posed the motion last night at the board meeting. The account will now be drawn from PNC Bank at an amount of $5,000 to be replenished at $500. The account also limits authorized users to a $200 check writing maximum and provides for $200 in cash emergency expenditures that will be made available at the Forks Township Community Center.

Last month, the board approved a $10,000 petty cash fund for the Recreation Board.

Voting against the proposal was supervisors Erik Chuss, and Robert Egolf. Chuss said he had no problem with the account being moved from Lafayette Bank to PNC Bank.

“I’m just stunned at this attempt to redirect this train,” said Chuss.

“This has been a travesty,” Egolf. “None of it is based on the people we really need it from. We’re doing all of our constituents a disservice.”

The ruling now also closes the recreation board’s account with Lafayette Bank and authorizes only the township recreation director, board of supervisors and the recreation board treasurer to the new account.

Egolf proposed tabling motion until Tuesday when the first meeting for the recreation board ordinance is scheduled.   

“It’s like going into surgery without looking at the x-rays,” said Egolf.

“You need to let due process take its course,” said Dan Martyak. “To come today without any type of ability for the public to comment on it, it’s just despicable. It’s underhanded.”

“I knew there was gonna be back room politics again,” Carl “Butch” Scerbo. “He (David Howell) loses and he’s gonna have to keep bringing it up.”

Supervisor C. David Howell said he was concerned that the account is not in the recreation board’s name and is not in the same bank that other municipal accounts are held under. According to Howell, the account is under the Forks Township Athletic Association.

“If we have a petty cash fund or a contingency fund we should do it properly,” said Howell.

“It is time to just stay where we were before,” Wendy Jamison. “The motion is behind half of the people’s back.”

“I’m embarrassed for what we’re doing as a community,” Martyak. “I’ve lost faith in what some of you are doing.”  

“You don’t have your facts right,” Scerbo. “The bills get paid. We have a CPA from a major company doing it.” 

As of yesterday, $7,700 remains in the Lafayette Bank account, according to township finance manager Jim Farley.