ROUNDUP— A senior center in Roundup has reviewed their books after claims such as “inadequate financial controls” and “accusations of internal embezzlement” lead the Area II Agency on Aging to suspend funding for the center June 30.
Marcy Brookie, Executive Director of the Area II Agency on Aging sent an email to the center, Musselshell County Council on Aging (MCCOA), on June 18, requesting an audit of the center’s books.
Watch to see why the senior center is pushing for funding to return:
“Musselshell County Council on Aging is to have an external audit done by a reputable accounting firm that conducts Federal Audits and that Area II agrees is a suitable firm,” said Brookie in the email.
The MCCOA has not done an audit, but accountant Melissa Carlson did a review of their books. She tied the increase of spending to inflation and increased service in the community.
“They had $100,000 (in) reserves, which they no longer have, and what I found is that with increasing their services and inflation, most of that went to raw food and then cooks' wages,” she said.
The board held a meeting Tuesday afternoon, with the hope of showing Brookie the review, but she did not attend.
“This board had reached out to that board asking for some of the evidence of the accusations that were presented to us. We've never heard back from that board,” said Roger Siemion, MCCOA Board Vice Chairman.
“We'd like to get our funding returned and we'd like to get a lot of questions answered,” added MCCOA Board Chairman Bob Goffena.
The center has been surviving on donations and volunteer work in the time funding has been suspended.
The agency suspended the funding in June but, according to the center, has not made payments to the MCCOA since April, leaving the center without the funding source for almost seven months.
This has accumulated to a loss of $53,669, according to the MCCOA.
“We're doing our best that we can, and you can see where the money was spent. We're not blowing it,” said MCCOA Board Member Betty Haynes.
For Haynes, the center is an important part of her community.
“I come partly because it's like a family,” she said.
The center provides seniors with meals three times a week, rides, and activities such as bingo.
“A lot of these seniors really depend on these meals because it's a lot more than food. It's getting people out of their houses and getting them to talk to each other. And we've succeeded really well in that,” said Goffena.
The center is functioning with the help of a cook and driver, who are not getting paid.
According to Siemion, the number of meals the center is serving is increasing. He said the center has served 1600 more meals this year than they had served by this time last year.
“If the things that we're being accused of are true, why is the community still here? I mean, I wouldn't be here, and I don't believe that my board and the community would be standing here. The community members that are here today, they feel very strongly of this place. I myself feel very strongly for this place,” said Siemion.
MTN left a voicemail with Brookie Tuesday afternoon and has not heard back.
