Columbus – More than $15,000 in customer utility payments has been collected by the Village of Florida but not paid to the Henry County Regional Water and Sewer District as required under contract, according to a report released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

Under a 2006 agreement, the Village of Florida collects the payments from customers who live in the unincorporated area of Okolona (Henry County) and then forwards the collections each month to the district. However, since 2011, the village has continued the collections but stopped making monthly payments.

“Just put the check in the mail,” Yost said. “The ratepayers in Okolona and the taxpayers in the water and sewer district deserve to have their governments keep up with their obligations.”

In Dec. 2011, the village stopped making required payments and has since accumulated a balance owed in the amount of $15,831. In a response to the audit report, the water and sewer district stated that the amounts owed are maintained in a village account, and that turnover in the position of village clerk has required additional training in the accounting and billing system.

Other citations in today’s report included failures to maintain an adequate record system, to properly certify expenditures and to comply with federal regulations for the expenditure of grant money. Separate from today’s report, the district was also cited for failure to file annual financial statements as required under Ohio law.

The Henry County Regional Water and Sewer District serves all of the unincorporated areas of Henry County except for the Ridgeville District, collecting approximately $390,000 annually in service charges.