Westmoreland County supervisors cite $104,045.14 in penalties after debt-service lapse, push for monthly reconciliations

Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors members pressed for stronger financial oversight after a board member said penalties and interest tied to a near-default on debt-service loans totaled $104,045.14.

Committee member (S2) told the board that "the total penalties interest that occurred was $104,045.14" and said residents and county employees have been asking how the lapse happened. S2 said a finance official identified in the record as "Mister Rosavi" has returned "in the capacity of finance" to help build policies and procedures "so this shall never happen again."

The comments came amid wider concern about recent staff turnover. Chair (S1) said the county administrator, the assistant county administrator and the finance director all left at once, leaving subsequent hires "at ground 0" and lacking institutional knowledge. To address gaps, Committee member (S4) urged the board to require a monthly reconciliation memo that would be signed off by the county administrator, the treasurer and finance staff and described adopting daily, weekly and monthly checklists as a practical safeguard: "If you follow the checklist, any dummy could do it," S4 said.

A board member, Committee member (S5), framed the incident as "an anomaly," emphasized the county's historically sound bond rating and said the board must put policies in place and maintain oversight so the public can rely on the county's financial practices. "We should always be aware," S5 said.

Following the discussion, the board moved and seconded a motion to go into closed session to discuss the performance of employees and finance staff "in accordance with Virginia code 2.2-3711(a)(1)," the chair announced. The transcript records affirmative votes to enter the closed session; the board later moved to return to regular session and the chair announced the motion carries.

The transcript includes an amendment to the closed-session attendance to name the county administrator and a finance official (the record contains both the spellings "Rosavi" and, later, "Rosati"). The transcript does not include a detailed public explanation of the operational causes of the lapse beyond the turnover and the board's request for monthly reconciliation memos.

The board scheduled follow-up and housekeeping items before adjourning; the next regular meeting was discussed for April 13 with a combined meeting moved to April 14. The board also arranged a special meeting date and confirmed logistics and invitations.

The board did not adopt any formal financial policy during this session; members said they expect staff to return with reconciliations, checklists and proposals to prevent a recurrence.