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VIENNA -- Vienna trustees on Tuesday addressed a social media rumor that excessive money was spent on all township departments and not just the fire department.
The township is $1.3 million in debt and is in a state of fiscal emergency after receiving that designation from the state auditor last week.
Trustee Phil Pegg said these rumors are false and other township departments appear to be "in the hole" because of misappropriation of funds.
He said records from the former fiscal officer (Linda McCullough), who he did not refer to by name, "shows the fire department is $1.2 million in the hole."
"It shows the road department at about $98,000 in the hole," Pegg said. "It shows the police department, it was in the eighties (thousands) in the hole. Why are those two departments in the hole? They didn't overspend. It was because she misappropriated money from their funds and gave it to the fire department. Now those funds are in a deficit because she removed the money inappropriately."
Pegg said he spoke to investigators from the state auditor's office last week about more money he found that was misappropriated. He also said despite the fact these funds were misappropriated, the fire department is still out of money because of excessive overtime.
"In February of 2023, I again sat down with him, (fire Chief Richard Brannon)," Pegg said. "I was (hearing) it from the community. Every time there was a call, two squads would show up. How do you make money on an ambulance run if you're going to send two every time there's a call? Back to (the) February meeting I called the chief out on sending two squads every time and I was told 'it's my department and I'll run it how I want to.'"
A recently audited record provided by Pegg showed other fire department employees who had overtime, including Renee Waldo, who makes the schedule and had 80 hours of overtime in one pay period.
Pegg said all schedules were signed by Brannon.
Brannon said the overtime Waldo had was necessary.
"She is the EMS coordinator for Vienna Township," he said. "She comes in on her days off and corrects things, she orders all our supplies and she makes sure the reports get done right and she also makes sure everything's covered (in the EMS reports) and then sends them off to our billing company."
He also said when someone fills in for an employee who calls off, they are paid overtime.
Pegg said the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System and the fire department's benefit fund weren't paid into and those funds are part of the money the township has to pay back.
He said when checks bounced, the former fiscal officer said it was a mistake and he never called the bank "because he trusted her."