Auditor General DePasquale Releases Audits for 33 Volunteer Firefighter Relief Associations in 17 counties


May 02 2014
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Auditor General DePasquale Releases Audits for 33 Volunteer Firefighter Relief Associations in 17 counties

HARRISBURG (May 2, 2014) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today announced the release of 33 audit reports for volunteer firefighter relief associations in Allegheny, Beaver, Berks, Bucks, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Lebanon, Lycoming, Mercer, Monroe, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Tioga, Warren, Washington and York counties.

The department’s Bureau of Municipal Pension & Fire Relief Audits examines volunteer firefighter relief associations, which receive state aid from a two-percent state tax on fire insurance premiums purchased by Pennsylvania residents from out-of-state casualty insurance companies.

In 2013, $72 million in state funds was required to be distributed through funding municipalities to nearly 1,950 VFRAs to provide training, purchase equipment and insurance, and pay for death benefits for volunteer firefighters.

The full audit reports for VFRAs with findings are available online using the links provided below, others are available online at:www.PaAuditor.gov/audit-reports.

Allegheny County 
Parkview VFRA – No findings

Pioneer Hose Co. No. 1 VFRA – No findings

Rainbow VFRA – No findings

Richland Township VFRA – No findings

Beaver County 
East Rochester VFRA – No findings

Koppel – No findings

New Galilee VFRA – No findings

Vanport VFRA – No findings

Berks County
Cumru Township VFRA – No findings

Gouglersville VFRA
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: failure to maintain a complete and accurate equipment roster.

Bucks County
Delaware Valley VFRA
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for eight findings: inadequate minutes of meetings, failure to secure ownership interest in jointly purchased vehicle, inappropriate transfer of funds, insufficient bond coverage and non-compliance with prior audit recommendations for undocumented expenditures, inadequate signatory authority for disbursing funds, failure to deposit state aid and failure to maintain a complete and accurate equipment roster.

Centre County 
Port Matilda VFRA 
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for two findings: insufficient bond coverage and non-compliance with a prior audit recommendation for failure to maintain a complete and accurate equipment roster.

Clarion County 
Clarion VFRA
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: untimely deposit of state aid.

Foxburg VFRA
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for three findings: failure to maintain minutes of meetings, failure to maintain bond coverage and failure to deposit state aid.

Clearfield County 

Coalport VFRA – No findings

Mahaffey VFRA
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for two findings: non-compliance with prior audit recommendations for untimely receipt and deposit of state aid and insufficient bond coverage.

Osceola Mills VFRA 
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: unauthorized expense.

Westover Area VFRA
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: failure to maintain minutes of meetings.

Lebanon County 
Myerstown VFRA – No findings

Perseverance VFRA
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for five findings: non-compliance with prior audit recommendations for failure to obtain a federal identification number, inadequate minutes of meetings, failure to deposit investment income, failure to maintain a complete and accurate equipment roster and insufficient bond coverage.

Lycoming County 
Loyalsock VFRA
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: unauthorized expenditures.

Mercer County
Sheakleyville VFRA
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: non-compliance with prior audit recommendation for undocumented expenditures.

Monroe County 
Mount Pocono VFRA
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: unauthorized expenditures.

Schuylkill County 
Tamaqua VFRA – No findings

Washington VFRA – No findings

Sullivan County 
Dushore VFRA – No findings

Tioga County 
Wellsboro VFRA – No findings

Jackson Township VFRA
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for two findings: failure to adhere to relief association bylaws and non-compliance with prior audit recommendation for insufficient bond coverage.

Warren County 
Columbus VFRA
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: insufficient bond coverage.

Washington County 
Denbo-Vesta Six VFRA &ndashe; No findings

York County
Glen Rock VFRA – No findings

Laurel VFRA
Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for four findings: inadequate relief association bylaws, failure to secure ownership interests of a relief association certificate of deposit, unauthorized expenditures and non-compliance with prior audit recommendations for insufficient bond coverage.

York Township VFRA – No findings

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