Vienna reports $1 million missing

Trustees seek ouster of fiscal officer; township workers laid off

VIENNA -- Trustees announced that the township had to lay off several employees Thursday after finding that more than $1 million budgeted dollars were reported missing.

In a news release, the trustees said the township does not have the money to pay the employees. Among the employees who were laid off were two police officers and three firefighters.

Trustees Phil Pegg, Richard Dacsenzo and Robert Root, police Chief Robert Ludt and fire Chief Richard Brannon also said they would forego their salaries until the situation is resolved.

"Several township employees contacted the trustees last week when they did not receive the direct deposit of their paychecks in their accounts," the release states.

"When contacted, fiscal officer (Linda McCullough) stated that it was a bank error, but when the trustees called the bank, they discovered that the township's account was overdrawn."

Trustees found that more than $1 million had been transferred from the township money market account to its checking account over the past year, leaving several hundreds thousand dollars in outstanding bills.

"It appears that money from restricted funds may have been used to pay expenses of other funds, and payments have been made in excess of the amounts appropriated by the trustees," the release states.

Trustees are not fully aware of the actual fiscal status of the township as the fiscal officer has control of the financial books and records, according to the release.

The trustees are requesting that McCullough be removed for "failure to perform her fiscal duties."

McCullough did not return a phone call seeking comment.

"The Auditor of State's Special Investigations Unit has received complaints, is aware of the situation, and is looking into the matter. We will have no further comment at this time," Marc C. Kovac, a spokesman with the auditor's office, stated in an email.

Trustees said until they have an accurate understanding of the township's financial situation, including how much money the township has, what obligations remain outstanding and whether any funds have been misspent, they have "no choice but to cut expenses," according to the release.

The trustees said they plan to implement a financial recovery plan as soon as possible and hope the township can rehire some of the employees in the future.

Friday evening, the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department posted a notice on its Facebook page saying the Vienna Fire Station would be unmanned for 24 hours, starting at 7 a.m. Friday.

Several residents at Thursday's special meeting, which was standing room only, called for all three trustees to resign over the missing money.