Dear editor,

As a former treasurer of the town of McMillan I have on occasion reviewed financial information emanating from that township with more than passing interest.  A brief review of the Dec. 31, 2018 information packet presented to and approved by the board on Jan. 14, 2019, combined with the 2018 Annual Report, can only leave me with one conclusion.  The administration currently in place does not know how much cash was on hand as of Dec. 31, 2018.  And if published data like that is wrong, in a cash based accounting system, then revenues and expenditures as published cannot be right.  For example, the annual report reflects collection of $35.00 for dog licenses during all of 2018.  One wonders just who was the lucky legal dog.

The total cash balance as of Dec. 31, 2018 shown on the annual report just published is $1,122,797.19.  The balance presented and approved by the board for the same date shows $1,063,098.14, using the Treasurers report.  The clerks report on the same page shows a balance of $130,105.29.  Apparently cash on hand in the town of McMillan is a multiple choice event.  Does anyone read what is published?

I will make several recommendations.  The monthly reconcilements for cash should be released to the public at the board meeting when presented for review and approval.  It is the people’s money and they should know the details at the time of board approval.  The Treasurers report lists the various reconciled cash accounts like you and I would do at home, with a total end of month cash balance.  This is being done.  The Clerks report should disclose last months ending balance, increases during the current month (deposits and interest), decreases during the current month (checks written), with the summation being total cash balance for the month end.  The two ending total cash balances for the month must match exactly.  The Clerk’s report is not being done correctly.

Currently, for 2019, the Clerk’s report is just a regurgitation of what the Treasurer is doing.

Sometime ago, I had a letter to the editor posted lamenting the high turnover rate in both the Clerk’s and Treasurer’s position since Carolyn Opitz took over as Town Chair.  I recommend to the people of McMillan Township to consider an even higher turnover rate on Tuesday’s election and that the staff be “turned over” as well.

Steve Katona

Marshfield, WI. 54449