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Chair addresses Office of Inspector General complaint over festival fundraising
Summary
At the Oct. 7 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, Speaker 2 read a letter from the Office of the Inspector General alleging improper use of a personal Venmo account at Fall Fest 2023 and untimely handling of $32 raised at the July 2024 Freedom Festival; Speaker 2 disputed the allegations, outlined corrective steps taken, and pledged compliance with town policy.
Speaker 2 told the Parks and Recreation Commission that the Office of the Inspector General emailed two complaints alleging improper collection of funds in the chairperson’s capacity: a personal Venmo transaction at the Fall Fest in November 2023 and cash collections at the July 2024 Freedom Festival for "Daniel's Farmstead" without receipts and not remitted in a timely way. Speaker 2 read a prepared response, saying they did not know Venmo was prohibited at Fall Fest 2023, that the festival’s operations changed afterward and a local nonprofit would manage vendor sales going forward, and that the town accountant and collector’s office were consulted earlier in the year to establish proper concession procedures and to obtain a tablet for electronic payments.
On the Freedom Festival activity, Speaker 2 said the $32 collected were proceeds for Daniel's Farmstead from a game that Speaker 2 created and ran using their own materials and money, and that ‘‘the sign on the game clearly stated that all proceeds were going to Daniel's Farmstead.’’ Speaker 2 disputed the inspector general’s assertion that funds were not remitted and said several people confirmed receipt. Speaker 2 added that they will ensure future fundraising by citizens is clearly distinct from Parks & Recreation activities and that the Venmo issue has been addressed and future fundraising will follow town policy.
Other commission members responded. Speaker 1 described the complaint as ‘‘very distressing’’ and questioned why the matter had been taken to the district attorney’s office rather than first being raised with town officials. Speaker 3 recommended formal coordination with town staff for nonprofit fundraising and suggested notifying Chad (town staff) when groups plan fundraising so the treasurer and accounting offices are aware. Speaker 2 said the letter did not open a formal audit or investigation but recommended tightened policies and repeated that corrective steps had been taken.
The meeting record shows the exchange took place during the correspondence portion of the Oct. 7 meeting; no formal sanction or vote was recorded during this session. The commission discussed reconnecting with the Friends of Parks & Rec group to coordinate fundraising and ensure donations and checks follow town procedures going forward.
