COLUMBUS – A finding for recovery of $20,054 was issued Thursday against a former Hillsboro Municipal Court clerk, who was overpaid for unused leave when she retired, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced.

The finding was included in an audit of the City of Hillsboro’s finances for calendar year 2022 that was reissued Thursday, with a lowered finding for recovery amount from an initial report released in January. A copy of the full report is available online (ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/search.aspx).

Diane Seeling, who retired in September 2021, was paid $46,266 in severance, including $32,002 for unused vacation time, $8,097 for unused sick time, and $6,167 for unused personal leave.

However, Hillsboro city policy requires employees to use vacation and personal leave within a 12-month period or lose that paid time off. Auditors determined Seeling should have received $26,212 for her unpaid leave balances, resulting in an overpayment.

Seeling and former City Auditor Alex Butler and their bonding companies are jointly and severally liable for the finding.

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The Auditor of State’s Office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio is responsible for auditing more than 5,900 state and local government agencies. Under the direction of Auditor Keith Faber, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies, and promotes transparency in government.