POPLAR RIDGE - The wrinkles in the Southern Cayuga Central School District audit committee got ironed out during Monday's reorganizational meeting.

After hearing from the district's lawyer, internal auditor and audit committee chairs, the board of education decided it was no longer necessary for the committee to audit the monthly financial statements and the warrants since the district is in a better financial situation and has a better relationship with district administration than it has in the past.

Instead, the board will look at the monthly financial reports and make sure everything lines up while the audit committee meets on a quarterly basis to review the treasurer's reports and provide oversight in the risk assessment of the district's fiscal operations.

And that sounded good to the two board members who sit on the committee, Jim Wilcox and board vice president Dean Winspear, who two weeks ago threatened to resign their commission if the audit committee did not receive all of the financial documents.

Committee co-chair Rich Harrison explained to the board that the committee is only doing what the board asked them to do after mishandlings by previous administration.

It was initially charged to look at the district's credit card statements, cell phone usage, among other things, he said.

The committee no longer monitors those items because past abuses are no longer occurring.

“We did what you asked us to do,” he said. “If the board of education decided to reverse this policy and not have the audit committee review its financials, but do its own review, you are in much better condition to do that now than you ever were three years ago.”

“I am pleased to report to you that I believe you have the cleanest darn books anywhere in this county,” he said. “Three years ago that was not the case. It's so obvious in the past that you couldn't really figure out what was going on in those reports.”

After a lengthy discussion regarding the roles and responsibilities of internal auditor Julie Burnham and claims auditor Ed Siemiatkowski, it was decided that, while the audit committee has done a great job monitoring the financials, it really is the board's job to be the financial watchdog.

“The board itself has been relying almost extensively on the audit committee,” board member Ted Rejman said, “and that's to our chagrin because while you've been doing it, it still is the board's responsibility to look at that multi-summary report we get every month.”

Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net