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Caithness Moxie power plant is halfway through first phase of construction in Salem Township

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Wyoming Valley West All-State boys soccer players choose colleges

The Wilkes-Barre Township Fire Department recently cleaned up its act enough to satisfy the state Auditor General&#8217;s Office, which isn&#8217;t to say all is again well.The department&#8217;s financial practices will remain under scrutiny by the state, as they also should by area residents, township officials and, of course, the firefighting organization&#8217;s own volunteers &#8211; positioned to be among the first to detect if things seem amiss.Prior leadership of the department&#8217;s Relief Association failed abysmally in its duty to provide oversight, allowing former fire chief John Yuknavich to steal tens of thousands of dollars in public funds. He served a six-month prison sentence. Insurance ultimately covered the $45,000 loss.The department owes its continued existence in no small part to the township, whose elected officials historically have been too chummy with the department&#8217;s members without demanding accountability. For example, elected officials reportedly authorized the use of public dollars to pay the department&#8217;s utilities and bills, plus supply a $110,000 yearly donation. Yet when Yuknavich&#8217;s crime came to light in 2011, and as he pleaded guilty in 2014, many of those same officials claimed they had no authority or influence over the department&#8217;s operations.More recently, in April of last year, the township council voted to assume the firehouse&#8217;s nearly $75,800 mortgage. By erasing the fire department&#8217;s debts, the township paved the way for the Wilkes-Barre Township Volunteer Firefighters&#8217; Relief Association to get back in the state&#8217;s good graces.Auditor General Eugene DePasquale this month announced his office had lifted a freeze on more than a quarter-million dollars in state aid to the department that had been held since 2010. &#8220;There have long been confidence and trust issues raised in audits of the Wilkes-Barre (Township) VFRA as far back as 2006,&#8221; DePasquale said, who noted a history of &#8220;horrific management of public assets.&#8221;The department&#8217;s new leadership can vastly improve this scandal-ridden nonprofit&#8217;s image by being more open about its business, most especially its finances.Likewise, its current and future leaders should fully embrace accounting practices like those outlined in the accompanying information box. Why would they possibly choose to do otherwise?As DePasquale said in a news release this month: &#8220;Be assured that our auditors will keep a close eye on this VFRA. It may take years to rebuild trust and public confidence.&#8221;<div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>Minding the moneyFaculty and students in Misericordia University&#8217;s Business Department created a <a href="http://www.misericordia.edu/page.cfm?p=1478" target="_blank">manual</a> to help volunteers in nonprofit groups properly keep track of the cash. Among its advice:&#8226; Make all payments by check.&#8226; Require two signatures on checks.&#8226; Avoid the use of credit and debit cards.&#8226; Require a treasurer&#8217;s report at every meeting.&#8226; Have a monthly bank reconciliation prepared by someone other than the treasurer.&#8226; Never allow the treasurer to hold another office, such as the president of the board, at the same time, even temporarily.&#8226; Rotate the treasurer responsibility every few years.</factboxMeta></div>

Our Opinion: Wilkes-Barre Township Fire Department can clear the air by embracing best financial practices