Sources board prepares to deal with state audit

CELINA - A subcommittee of the board of directors of anti-poverty organization Sources Community Network Services will be formed to address the findings of a forthcoming state audit, interim director Kirk Moriarty said Thursday night.

"We are very, very prepared to meet this head on," he told Sources board members at their regular meeting.

A state audit of the organization's prior management of funds for the Home Weatherization Assistance Program is still in progress, according to Penny Martin of the Ohio Development Services Agency.

"It's not going to be an antagonistic situation," Moriarty said. "They (the state) are going to be extraordinarily cooperative. They've expressed that."

Moriarty and board president Tammy Barger also spoke to Mercer County Commissioners about the pending audit.

Barger reiterated that Sources could be shutdown, placed under the administration of another agency or allowed to continue with its programs except for the HWAP program, which board members recently relinquished to Community Action Partnership of the Greater Dayton Area. Local residents are still to be served under the program.

"We're not anticipating that (closing down) as being one of the options," she said.

"The report should be forthcoming soon," Moriarty told commissioners. "They (state) have been extraordinarily flexible. When that time comes, certainly there's going to be a sticker shock that we're all going to have to deal with. But let's be mindful that obviously we have a duty. We have an interest to those we serve."

Commissioner John Bruns asked what Moriarty meant by sticker price, to which he was told it meant the possible fine to be levied against Sources for the mismanagement of HWAP funds.

"Basically, what they're saying is 'you weren't allowed to spend this, you weren't allowed to spend that,' " Barger said. "But because any time you have an audit, it always is a large amount and then we can whittle it down to where it's just this (amount)."

Sources won't have to pay the final amount all at once, according to Barger and Moriarty.

"The issues that we have with the audit have nothing to do with any of our other programs except the HWAP program, which we relinquished to the state and said you can have it back," Barger said. "All of our other programs have always and to this day continue to run very efficient."

Moriarty on Thursday night also told Sources board members that Wright State University-Lake Campus graphic design students are working on creating a new Sources logo, tag line, mission statement and re-branding plan.

"We have chosen three students to intern following their semester term," Moriarty wrote in his report. "They have agreed to work with our staff to review and refine our marketing strategy."

The interns will not be paid but will gain professional experience.

Moriarty also said Sources will be sending an entourage of program managers to the Paul J. Clarke Non-Profit Center in Fort Wane, Ind., on May 3 for a two-hour grant writing training session.

"I attended this training three years ago and can attest to the high value of this program," he wrote. "I believe this will help aid our long-term efforts as we seek additional funding revenue for Sources."

Board members on Thursday night also approved assignments to the following committees:

• executive committee - Barger, James Carpenter, Kathy Bayless and Kathy Mescher.

• budget and finance committee - Mescher as chair, Carol Berg, Gidget Applegate, Karla Kincaid, Karen Platfoot and Wayne Sweigart.

• personnel committee - Barger as chair, Bayless, Larry Heitkamp, Sweigart, Karen Seibert and Mescher.

• legal and constitutional committee - Berg as chair, Carpenter, Seibert, Barger, Kincaid and Bayless.

• community relations and program review - Carpenter, Applegate, Bayless, Platfoot, Roberta Gehle-Wycuff and Mary Laws.