DCED Letter 6-16-11

June 16, 2011
Gennaro A. Marino P.E.
409 West Main Street
Kutztown, Pa 19530
610-683-7977
Department of Community and Economic Development
400 North Street 4th Floor
Harrisburg, Pa 17120
DCED Head Alan Walker
Dear Sir,

I am a resident of Kutztown Pennsylvania and would like to discuss the Borough’s 2011 Annual Audit which was submitted to your department. Under the Right to Know Law I purchased a copy of the Audit from the Borough and found it lacking vital facts and statistics. I questioned this with the Borough’s Financial Officer Samilo and he stated that was all he had which was a copy of the Audit sent to your agency and that there will be another audit for the Borough Council. My question is should there be two 2010 Audits?

The Audit does not include an annual Debt Service total, all it states is Debt Service Interest. The Borough’s Newsletter, The Kutztonion, (attached) lists the Debt Service as $582,065 which is the amount of Debt Service interest in the Audit your office received (attached).
The total Debt Service for the Borough is more than $1.1 million.

The Borough has never been very forthcoming with financial reports or budgets. There are no separate annual budgets or audits for the Electric, Water, Sewer and Telecommunications Departments. The mandatory Annual Audit sent to you suffices that one audit fits all.

My attached letter to the Borough Elected Officials dated June 1, 2011, details the above statements and further questions the Audit that you received from the Borough. I have never received a reply to my letter from anyone. My letter also points out that the Audit sent to you is not to be made public and should only be issued to specific agencies. The Audit was sold to me, is on the Borough website and is available at the Borough Hall.

I feel these issues I raise should be investigated by your Office and the Audit submitted to you should be scrutinized. Thank you.

Sincerely,


Gennaro A. Marino P.E.