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Trustees reject annual treasurer's report after dispute over voided and reissued checks
Summary
Trustees voted down approval of the Village of University Park's annual treasurer's report after extended debate about checks listed as issued to a youth baseball group and a consultant; trustees asked for documentation and proposed amending the report.
The Village of University Park Board of Trustees on Jan. 27 failed to approve the annual treasurer's report for the fiscal year ending April 30, 2025, after trustees raised concerns that the report listed checks that residents and organization leaders say were not received.
Trustee Fulcher questioned entries showing a $6,000 reimbursement to the University Park Baseball Organization and a series of reissued checks to a consultant identified in the meeting as Nina Fain totaling about $35,866. Fulcher said the baseball group's treasurer told her the organization did not receive the $6,000 check and asked for documentation showing the checks were issued and cashed.
Finance staff and the administrator responded that the village's accounting software records checks as "issued" for the fiscal period when they were created, even if a vendor or payee did not cash or present the check for payment. Staff said voided or reissued checks that were processed in a later fiscal year can still appear on the treasurer's report because of how the report pulls issued-check records.
Trustees pressed staff on whether the checks had been cashed, how reissued amounts were recorded across fiscal years, and whether payments were consistent with contract amounts. Trustee Jenkins Bell said the village has provided thousands of dollars to youth baseball over multiple years and called for clearer documentation of how taxpayer funds were spent. Members of the public who said they represent local baseball organizations disputed each other's statements about whether specific checks were cashed and asked for bank statements and treasury reports from the organizations.
After roughly an hour of discussion and a trustee request to amend and further investigate the report, the mayor called the roll. The motion to approve the treasurer's report failed by tie vote and was recorded as failed by the clerk.
The board did not approve the report and directed staff and the trustees who requested additional review to follow up with supporting documents and clarifications. The item will return to the board once trustees have had a chance to review the requested records and any recommended amendments.
