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Coyle trustees press for stricter oversight of volunteer fire department funds and new auxiliary
Summary
Trustees and community members discussed 2018 state audit findings about missing receipts, the handling of recent expenditures and whether a recently formed auxiliary should handle fundraiser proceeds; the board said it will draft a preapproval policy, consult the town attorney and require clearer separation of auxiliary and town collections.
Coyle trustees and volunteers spent a special meeting reviewing oversight of the Coyle Volunteer Fire Department’s funds, focusing on a 2018 state audit that flagged missing receipts and more recent debit-card expenditures and on whether proceeds from a newly formed auxiliary should be handled outside town oversight.
The conversation matters because trustees said ambiguous recordkeeping and donations routed to an outside auxiliary risk violating state rules on public funds and could expose the town to audit findings. Board members described steps they plan to take to tighten controls before the auxiliary’s next fundraiser.
“I just want to say that a lot of things on this agenda could have been settled with just a meeting with the chief of the fire department,” said Mike Gallagher, a longtime volunteer firefighter and former chief, who opened public discussion by citing the 2018 audit. He and other speakers pointed to audit language about debit-card purchases and donations that lacked receipts or documentation of donor restrictions.
Trustees and volunteers discussed several specific examples raised in the audit record: a $500 donation that had been recorded as a gift to an outside charity, purchases tied to a retirement event (board members estimated roughly $400 in supplies and gifts), and earlier audit commentary that the fire department had maintained some accounts and transactions outside the town’s direct authority. One speaker said some recent donations totaled roughly $3,000 to $5,000 at the annual fundraiser and could increase to about $5,000 this year depending on participation.
Several trustees and volunteers described how those past findings inform a proposed policy change. The board said it is drafting a written preapproval policy for department expenditures — a document speakers described as 6–20 pages in draft form — and that the same procedures will apply to town departments as to the fire department. A trustee said the board will consult the town attorney to clarify what purchases and donor restrictions are allowed by law and to resolve possible conflicts of interest.
The meeting also focused on a new auxiliary group that organized recent fundraising and support activities. Speakers described the auxiliary as an independent, private organization that has used the fire station address for publicity and helped with logistics and in‑field support during recent fires. Some trustees expressed concern that the town clerk was listed as a director of the auxiliary while also serving as the town’s cash handler for event collections, which trustees said could create a perceived conflict of interest unless controls and role separation are clear.
Trustees proposed specific operational steps for the upcoming fundraiser: separate tables and signage (one clearly for auxiliary donations, another for donations payable directly to the Coyle Volunteer Fire Department), town representation at the fire‑department collection table, and that any checks intended for the fire department be made payable to the Coyle Volunteer Fire Department. Speakers said auxiliary organizers agreed to add clear signage and that the town clerk will staff the fire department table during the event to help ensure funds intended for the department are processed through town oversight.
Speakers also discussed the auxiliary’s nonprofit status. Trustees asked auxiliary organizers to provide documentation of incorporation and tax‑exempt status if it exists; auxiliary members said they had applied for or were working through registration steps and noted that small nonprofits under a certain annual income threshold are not always required to undergo a full external audit. Trustees said they would confirm legal and filing requirements with the town attorney.
On allowable uses of donated funds, trustees cited prior guidance: donations labeled for specific firefighter recognition can be used for those purposes, but undesignated donations may be subject to statutory limits on municipal gifts. Participants referenced the Oklahoma Constitution in the discussion and said town staff and the external auditor had previously advised caution when funds were not clearly restricted by donors.
No formal vote or ordinance was taken at the meeting; trustees described the session as a working discussion to establish written procedures, to seek legal clarification and to set operational controls for the immediate fundraiser. Next steps the board identified were finalizing the preapproval/finance policy, obtaining legal advice from the town attorney about the auxiliary’s status and spending rules, and ensuring clearly labeled collection points and a town representative at the fundraiser to separate auxiliary receipts from funds intended for the fire department.
Community members who spoke emphasized their intent to support firefighters while wanting to ensure the town’s financial practices meet statutory and audit standards. Trustee and volunteer speakers said they expect the clarified procedures and attorney guidance to reduce future audit risks and to preserve public trust.
