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Audit flags bond shortfall and small unauthorized spending at Volunteer Firefighters Relief Association
Summary
An audit transmitted by the Pennsylvania Auditor General found two issues at the Volunteer Firefighters Relief Association: an insufficient bond (corrected 03/17/2025) and $1,503 in expenditures the audit classified as unauthorized; city officials say the association has acknowledged and corrected the problems.
Mayor Sherry Alcopello told the council an audit of the Volunteer Firefighters Relief Association — which is legally separate from the City of Lebanon and represents nine volunteer fire companies — identified two findings for the Jan. 2022–Dec. 31, 2024 period.
The first finding, Alcopello said, was that the association did not maintain a bond large enough to cover its cash balance. She said that deficiency was corrected on March 17, 2025. The second finding related to unauthorized expenditures: small purchases such as refreshments for meetings and a consultant fee tied to a grant application, which the audit quantified as $1,503 in total.
"We're not talking about a huge sum of money here," Alcopello said during the work session, adding that the association's officers discussed the findings with the auditor and "I think these were honest mistakes, and they are taking care of those." She emphasized the Relief Association is required to hold funds received from a 2% state tax on certain out-of-state fire-insurance premiums and remit them within 30 days to the association.
The report was transmitted to the council by the Pennsylvania Auditor General's office. Councilmembers asked clarifying questions about the size of the expenditures and the mayor said the association obtained a new auditor, which can reveal previously unrecognized issues.
No formal council action or vote on the audit was recorded at the work session; the mayor and council indicated the association has acknowledged the findings and corrected the bond.
What happens next: the council was informed of the audit; the Relief Association officers told the mayor they understand the audit's findings. The city will continue to treat the association as an independent entity with statutorily prescribed allowable uses for relief funds.
