New Ford City Accountant Hired
Ford City Borough Council Vice President Jerry Miklos (left) asks for clarification from Borough Manager Eden Ratliff about a $50 reimbursement to a Borough employee last night.
By Jonathan Weaver
A new treasurer/accountant was hired in Ford City Borough last night.
Council members voted, 3-1, to have Council President Kathy Bartuccio formally hire Virginia Finnegan for the position.
The motion originally read that Finnegan will earn $35 per hour for the first month and $42.50 thereafter, effective today. However, Council Vice-President Jerry Miklos amended the motion to include that it would be effective following the Finance Committee’s decision and a transition period with current Treasurer/Accountant Susan Lasher Thompson
“We’re going to have the new accountant working with the old accountant through a transition period – we don’t know how long that will be,” Miklos said. “They might think they need two weeks, maybe a month.”
Thompson will also be notified of her termination.
Councilman Gene Banks voted against the motion, and said he never saw Finnegan’s resume and didn’t attend her interview, held on a Saturday.
“Why do my colleagues feel that we need a new accountant? (Susan) has been with us 20-something years, and we’ve never had a bad audit,” Banks said.
“We’re getting ready to get into some big things - a new water plant, EDA’s breathing down our necks. (Susan) knows Ford City like the back of her hand.
“It seems senseless.”
Councilwoman Vicki Schaub suggested employing someone more “hands-on” and “physically here.”
Miklos reinforced that, and added that Thompson is currently based out of the state of Florida.
An opinion was also gathered from the Civic Research Alliance – who is working with Ford City to prevent economic distress.
The hire was tabled last month.
Other financial matters include a monthly bill dispute.
Finance Committee members disagreed with one nearly-$50 reimbursement before unanimously approving the bill list, 4-0.
Miklos first requested more clarification on reimbursing a Borough employee $50 for a maintenance part. The part was ordered online and delivered to the employee’s personal residence.
Borough Manager Eden Ratliff explained.
“In that situation, sometimes it is easier and (quicker),” Ratliff said. “Sometimes going through the purchase order process takes a little longer, and if we’re on a time crunch, sometimes someone will jump in and pay for that themselves and hope the Borough reimburses them.
“I, at times, have done that as well.”
Miklos and Schaub disagreed with the practice.
“I guess there have been times when we had to place an ad and the Borough didn’t have credit that we had to pay for, but I think this is a little different,” Miklos said.
Ratliff said that it was to the point where if the employee had not paid for the part out of his own pocket, the part could not have been ordered.
Also, Economic Development Committee members Councilmen Miklos and Josh Abernathy - who was not at the meeting - also are discussing ways to promote Ford City Borough.
“We invited all the businesses to the C.U. Club and we had a meeting – we thought it was a very productive meeting - so we are going to be meeting with all the non-profit organizations in Ford City or even outside Ford City – those organizations that help promote the Borough – to brainstorm ideas of how we can help their organizations raise money and at the same time help Ford City Borough,” Miklos said.
A bid opening for the new water filtration plant will be held Wednesday, August 5.
By newvoice, July 14, 2015 @ 10:15 AM
NEW ACCOUNTANT 42.50 x 20 per week x 4 = $3400.00 per month……old account $900.00 per month plus was the Borough Treasure…? A Borough without MONEY?
By newvoice, July 14, 2015 @ 11:34 AM
Is Vicki going to pay for the meeting with CU money again?…..Selling insurance without a licence is bad enough so why can’t she use the clubs money to try to get re-elected….
By sickofpayingforit, July 14, 2015 @ 10:00 PM
Local police was on the chopping block but they are paying a bean counter 42 bucks an hour….. Only in the public sector……….
By jerry6, July 15, 2015 @ 9:18 AM
sickofpayingforit: This new person will only be working 20 hours a month not weekly. This new person will be making less than the old accountant.
By tellmethetruth, July 16, 2015 @ 7:19 AM
The new accountant is an employee. There goes objectivity. An employee at $42.50 per hour; at twenty hours a month (the hiring didn’t set a limit) plus mileage, plus payroll taxes, plus WC. Is that really less than what you were paying?
By Notruerwords, July 17, 2015 @ 12:10 PM
I have been waiting for several days, to ensure that my commentary will be the final words on the subjects discussed in the above article (& allow the “Dust to Settle”; from the incendiary & totally inaccurate TRASH SPEWED, by “Newvoice”, on these matters)…
It is of NO SUPRISE TO ME, when someone who’s TOTAL KNOWLEDGE of any given subject, would barely fill a thimble… Yet, their complete IGNORANCE, on the issues are NOT ENOUGH OF A DETERRENT, preventing them from publically displaying THEIR TOTAL IGNORANCE… NOPE, NOOOO WAY; THE EPICALLY STUPID, CANNOT CONTROL THEIR MISGUIDED & CHILDISH BEHAVIORS… So much so, that even the certainty of exposing HIS COMPLETE IGNORANCE, is not enough of a deterrent to prevent him from “HITTING ENTER”…
The C.U. CLUB, (or ANY OTHER CLUB, IN F.C.) doesn’t OWE you, OR ANYONE ELSE, A DAMN PLUG NICKLE… I’m here to tell you, that NONE OF THEM, WILL GO OUT OF BUSINESS, because of your “Lack of Support, or Patronage”… Trust me, I have shared more than enough bar stools with you, to know for a fact, IT IS TRUE… It appears, you & your life partner, will need to find another town of clubs, to “Support, with your IRRELEVANT PATRONAGE… GOODBYE, AND GOOD RIDDANCE
By Patzu, July 17, 2015 @ 7:49 PM
The new accountant is actually at a cheaper rate.
NewVoice sounds to be repeating the same fuzzy math that one of the former councils had when they decided to default on a loan tied to a federal grant.
By Patzu, July 19, 2015 @ 5:01 PM
NoTruerwords
Amen!!!
Why can’t they just go away?
By bob, July 19, 2015 @ 11:26 PM
I am with Patzu and NoTruerwords on this one… and I ask again, who allowed computer access to newvoice? That said, why are all the clubs allowing them membership into their establishments? People around here have terrible memories I suppose.
By newvoice, July 20, 2015 @ 8:17 AM
ouch .LOL…..must of hit a nerve.
By blutoblutarsky, July 20, 2015 @ 5:06 PM
Wow, newvoice found someone to slander other than Pyle for a change. Mark that down!
By Just sayin, July 23, 2015 @ 12:31 PM
Hey, I voted for Pyle once, and I’m a Democrat! See, Jen Jornsen, people can BEND. (Ironic that the spell check correction for Jornsen is “Sensor.”)
Sickof: What exactly do you mean by a “bean counter.” Are you referring to people on public assistance? That’s the way I took it because I’ve heard ignorant people refer to people on Welfare before being referred to as “beaners.” I’m guessing that expression started with a derogatory term for Mexicans.
By Just sayin, July 23, 2015 @ 3:46 PM
Jen Jornsen —LOL ! I knew that didn’t sound right! Sorry, Jorn Jenson! I guess I should be the sensor.
By Just sayin, July 23, 2015 @ 3:48 PM
OMG ! Jorn Jensen! Guess I’ll take a “deep breath.” I’ll “be okay.”
By Just sayin, July 24, 2015 @ 9:37 AM
No, I guess someone else should be the censor…
But, a sensor can detect heat.
My Lyme’s disease must be ticking at my brain!
By Just sayin, July 24, 2015 @ 9:38 AM
Oh, we all have brain poopy whistles sometimes — some more than others.
By sickofpayingforit, July 24, 2015 @ 4:44 PM
just sayin-
bean counters = accountants
I generally refer to people on welfare as freeloaders, not bean counters, and have NO idea where the Hispanic mention came from. I won’t “argue” online on a blog, mostly a pointless endeavor, and don’t want the racial stigma attached to my posts.
By worthingtonman, July 24, 2015 @ 10:07 PM
@just sayin
Bean counter is a term used for people working with money.
By jorn jensen, July 26, 2015 @ 10:18 PM
worthingtonman & sickofpayingforit - Don’t fall for Just sayin’s loaded question. Just sayin is an educated liberal and knows quite well what a bean counter is.
By mad-2010, July 27, 2015 @ 5:32 AM
“Just sayin is an educated liberal and knows quite well what a bean counter is.”
Just sayin is an educated (person) and knows quite well what a bean counter is.
Somehow just sounds better….
By blutoblutarsky, July 27, 2015 @ 7:53 AM
A few people simply correct justsayin but jensen has to throw in a barb and start talking about liberals. There are teenagers that act more maturely in public than this clown.
By mad-2010, July 27, 2015 @ 11:17 AM
A general reference to people on welfare as freeloaders would be incorrect and uncalled for. Not all people on welfare fit this title. Empathy has it’s place….
By steve, July 27, 2015 @ 4:59 PM
Jorn, everything isn’t a trick or conspiracy. I think justsayin genuinely didn’t know. Sickof and worthingtonman cleared it up in a civil way. There is no need for your dramatics.
By Marc, July 28, 2015 @ 3:43 PM
Steve- In the short time I’ve visited this blog I can already detect that Jensen is the drama queen of the KP.
By blutoblutarsky, July 29, 2015 @ 8:25 AM
Look no further than Fox News or Donald Trump for jensen’s conversation repertoire.
By Just sayin, August 2, 2015 @ 6:48 PM
Jorn: Thanks for the compliment, but Steve is right.
I honestly didn’t know what a bean counter was! I’m glad it doesn’t mean what I thought!
I must have “bean” sleeping when they handed out that idiom!
Thanks for explaining, sickof and worth.
Bluto: Have you ever seen the T-shirt that reads, “I watch my news on the comedy channel and my comedy on Fox News?”
Truthfully, my husband used to watch Fox News when he was a Republican, and it seemed so biased, as does CNN. Why can’t there truly be an open-minded, non-biased news channel?
The newspapers are biased, too, around here (pro- Republican).
My son used to be a Republican until he saw the light (not the light Ron Reagan was talking about). I DID NOT try to persuade his views. He is an educated bean counter (of all things, “whoda thunk”)?! He did not know that expression, either. It must be an old-fashioned expression.
Anyway, Jorn, can’t you just talk to us “liberals” as human “beans?” You can express yourself without adding that all the time. It gets tiring. I don’t hate you, but you sure like to press buttons.
By Just sayin, August 2, 2015 @ 6:55 PM
I agree with Mad— not all people on Welfare are freeloaders.
Good luck to the new Ford City bean counter.