Feb 11, 2005 By Patty Yauger 3 min read

CONNELLSVILLE TWP. – An agreement reached between frustrated auditors and the board of supervisors will allow 2004 records to be inspected for the required annual financial report. Marlene Grenell, auditor chairman, chastised the supervisors Thursday, stating that the panel was being thwarted in their efforts to conduct the yearly audit and stated that if the differences were not resolved the three would resign.

“We can’t do our job,” Grenell said in a prepared statement. “We believe we have been severely restricted in our access to township records. We have only been provided access during certain evening hours which not only does not provide us with enough time to audit, but is inconvenient to us.”

In addition to Grenell, who is a certified public accountant, the elected panel includes John Malone and Pat Graham.

The records, according to Supervisor Fred Robbins, are maintained at the Springfield Pike residence of township secretary Evelyn Kuhns.

Grenell stated that Kuhns restricted the hours the panel was permitted to view the documents and that her request to have certain records copied went unheeded.

“We believe this is a violation of the state Sunshine Law,” said Grenell, noting that certain copies are necessary to fulfill the auditing requirements. “We believe that our auditing methods have been inappropriately questioned and we have been treated with animosity and disrespect.”

Pointing to an ongoing state police investigation in connection to the 2003 township audit that allegedly revealed $32,567.99 was inappropriately paid to a former township secretary, Grenell said that it was imperative the supervisors cooperate with the panel.

“I take this job seriously,” said Grenell, noting that she spent in excess of 150 hours last year reviewing the financial records. “By law, we can only be paid for 100 hours.”

Robbins, meanwhile, admitted that he instructed Kuhns that no township records were to leave her custody, but that he did not leave instructions that copies of records could not be obtained, when necessary.

Kuhns responded that family responsibilities did not allow time for her to grant the requests to copy materials and restricted the hours she could open the office to the auditing panel.

“I don’t have the hours to make copies,” she said.

Resident Sally Stoots questioned the supervisors as to why they would not intercede and make the records available to the auditors.

“You have to resolve this,” she said.

Following the lengthy discussion, Robbins agreed to have the needed records brought to the Connellsville Township Fire Hall for review at a time designated by the auditors.