SHILOH — Village officials are hopeful that action taken by council Tuesday night will show Shiloh is actively working to reconcile its inadequate financial records.
Shiloh Village Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday to retain Shirley Reeder, a former village fiscal officer, as a financial consultant for the purpose of reconciling the village’s financial records from 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Councilwoman Marilyn Hall was absent from the meeting.
On Sept. 5, Auditor of State Keith Faber issued a press release which declared Shiloh as “unauditable” for the time period of Jan. 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2024, due to “inadequate financial records to complete an audit.”
Specifically, auditors were “unable to obtain accurate and complete monthly bank reconciliations for 2022, 2023 and 2024.” The village was given 90 days from Sept. 3 to revise its financial records and provide the data necessary to complete the audit.
Tuesday’s legislation was largely in response to a contract the village was offered from Local Government Services, a consulting and fiscal advisory group through the state auditor’s office.
LGS recently offered its help to the village at a cost of $50 per hour, according to village records from council’s Oct. 28 meeting. The contract specified services from LGS were not to exceed 930 hours for a maximum potential cost of $46,500. Shiloh would only pay for the hours it enlisted help.
According to minutes from the Oct. 28 meeting, Hall questioned if the village could instead hire an independent consultant in an effort to lower costs. Within the past two weeks, Reeder expressed interest to the village in regards to helping with the audit, according to Shiloh Mayor Paul Currier.
Although council passed the resolution to retain Reeder, Currier said on Tuesday that she will still need to be approved by the state auditor’s office before she can provide assistance.
He said Terri Sweeney, the village’s fiscal officer, plans to fax the resolution and proposed contract between Shiloh and Reeder to Faber’s office on Wednesday morning.
Reeder would also need to sign the contract proposed to her by the village before beginning any work.
Details of resolution, consultant agreement
Legislation passed Tuesday says Reeder, as the village’s former fiscal officer, has “the knowledge and expertise to provide the necessary consultation and financial knowledge to complete the required reconciliation.”
The resolution also authorizes and directs Currier and Sweeney to enter into a consultant agreement with Reeder at a rate of $20 per hour.
The proposed independent contractor consultant agreement also specifies that:
— Reeder agrees to “timely reconcile” Shiloh’s 2022, 2023 and 2024 financial records in accordance with “the requirements of the Auditor of the State of Ohio.”
— The village agrees to compensate Reeder at $20 per hour upon completion of each monthly service with submittal of an hourly invoice.
— Completion of the required reconciliation shall occur at the acceptance of Reeder’s work product and approval by the state auditor’s office.
— Reeder’s services shall be completed by no later than the deadline set by the Auditor of the State of Ohio and “any reasonable extension thereof granted” to the village.
— Reeder is solely responsible for her own equipment, computers and supplies necessary to complete the work. The village may grant her access to its computer programs and records “which are necessary for completion” of the reconciliation, “provided approval is first obtained from the Ohio Auditor.”
— Either party has the option to terminate the agreement by providing seven days written notice to the other party.
