The failure to remit the tax withholdings cost the township $4,899 in penalties and late charges from the federal government, the Ohio auditor’s office said in a finding for recovery released Thursday.
“A finding for recovery for public monies illegally expended is hereby issued against Anitra Roell,” state records show.
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A finding for recovery is issued when public property has been misspent or misappropriated, according to the auditor’s office.
“Under Ohio law, any public official who either authorizes an illegal expenditure of public funds or supervises the accounts of a public office from which such illegal expenditure was made is strictly liable for the amount of the expenditure,” according to the state audit.
The $4,899 has been confirmed by the state auditor’s office to have been repaid, according to township records.
The auditor’s office report involved 2016 and 2017 records. In April 2019, a federal tax lien filed with the Preble County Recorder’s Office showed Gasper Twp. trustees owed the federal government more than $35,000 for taxes dating back to 2014, according to public records.
The $35,000 was paid after a check was sent following a demand on Roell’s public official bond, according to Martin Votel, attorney for Gasper Twp.
Public officials controlling “public funds or property are liable for the loss incurred should such funds or property be fraudulently obtained by another, converted, misappropriated, lost or stolen,” according to the Ohio auditor’s office.
Gasper Twp. should implement policies and procedures to verify that all payroll withholdings and remittances are paid in a timely manner so as to avoid any penalties and late charges, according to the auditor’s office.
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