By Cindy Ramirez
The El Paso Times
A preliminary audit of the San Elizario Volunteer Fire Department shows that nearly half-a-million dollars in expenditures are under scrutiny, according to documents obtained by the El Paso Times.
The draft report by an independent auditor, Schmid Broaddus Nugent and Gano PC, shows that several expenses were submitted for reimbursement without receipts or invoices. Other problem areas include duplicate payments or reimbursements for items with “questionable business purposes.”
“It’s an ongoing process that’s pretty common,” said Raymond Trevizo, chief of the San Elizario Volunteer Fire Department for more than 30 years. “Right now, we’re double-checking our receipts and bank statements. I don’t expect any negative findings in the final report.”
The fire department report is part of a larger audit of the Emergency Services District No. 2, a quasi-governmental agency that levies taxes on county property owners to run and oversee the area’s volunteer fire departments.
The ESD is required to submit an annual audit report to the El Paso County Commissioners Court. Last week, the ESD requested and was granted a 30-day extension to submit its audit for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2011.
Part of the audit, which was presented during the ESD board of directors meeting May 17, looked at expenditures submitted for reimbursement by the San Elizario Fire Department from January 2009 to January 2012.
Among the unusual items are purchases totaling $2,180 for two big-screen TVs and wall mounts; $1,600 in airfare for eight people to Chicago; $1,045 in watches; more than $400 for an iPhone and accessories; a $150 Bluetooth; and a $50 Lowe’s Home Improvement gift card.
Additionally, the audit found that nearly $35,000 in merchandise or services were billed or delivered to an address on Camino De La Rosa Road in San Elizario and other residential addresses.
Trevizo said he often receives deliveries at his home at the Camino De La Rosa address, citing that it’s common practice among the county’s 12 volunteer fire departments.
“We’re all volunteers and very often no one is at the station,” Trevizo said.
Other services billed to residential addresses, and paid for by the department, are monthly payments to Time Warner Cable and El Paso Disposal.
The draft report suggests that the ESD review the list of individuals who received services or merchandise to ensure they had the proper authority to act on behalf of the district.
Asked if any improprieties would be found in the final audit report, Trevizo replied, “No, absolutely not.”
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