By Phyllis Rose
Schoolcraft Township Board refused to approve an audit of the South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority after members learned that the auditing firm was also asked to do the authority’s bookkeeping.
The authority serves the villages of Vicksburg and Schoolcraft and townships of Brady, Wakeshma and Prairie Ronde Townships as well as Schoolcraft.
Kathy Mastenbrook, Schoolcraft village council member and liaison to the fire authority, read portions of a letter from the auditors, the Portage-based accounting firm of Siegfried Crandall.
The letter noted that the authority has relied on an independent external auditor to prepare its financial statements rather than incurring the costs of hiring a bookkeeper. The effect of doing this has resulted in accounting records being “misstated by amounts material to the financial statements,” the letter noted.
The auditor recommended that the authority consider costs and benefits of securing either an internal employee or an external source to prepare the draft of its financial statement rather than relying on its auditor to do that.
Mastenbrook agreed with the auditor’s suggestion. She emphasized that it is not a legal issue. She sought support from the Schoolcraft Board for her suggestions.
“It’s no one’s fault,” she added.
Board members discussed the issue, noting that there does need to be “another pair of eyes on the books.”
“We can vote not to accept the draft audit based on things we see,”said Treasurer Teresa Scott. “There are ways to make the budget more understandable.”
In the end, a motion was made to accept the audit. But without a second to the motion, it died.
Questioned later about what this failure to approve meant, Supervisor Don Ulsh noted that the other five members of the SKCFA have to vote on the audit.
Brady Township approved the audit at its September meeting.
If the majority of members don’t approve the audit, then the Fire Authority will have to address the issues, said Ulsh.
In other business, the Board approved a $5,000 expenditure for a new geographic information system (GIS) from Prein&Newhof, an engineering firm.
The township has been using ArcReader software for its ArcReader-based GIS but this system is to be retired in March, 2026, according to a letter from Prein&Newhof. The firm recommended switching to ArcGIS Online, a web-based mapping system which is reportedly faster and with more functionality than the old system.
The $5,000 fee includes account setup, map creation and training. Additional costs include an annual creator license fee of $700 and an annual update of $500.
An advantage of the new system is that it will allow for remote data updating, which Prein&Newhof says will save time and money compared to the old system.
“This is a lot easier,” said Scott, “I’m excited about it. People can go to the website and see the maps.”
During public comment time, Wendy Mazer, Kalamazoo County Commissioner for District 8 which includes Schoolcraft Township, reported that the dedication of the new Judge Charles A. Pratt Justice Center in Kalamazoo, held in early September was a “lovely ceremony.” She estimated that about 45 members of Judge Pratt’s family attended the event.
Judge Pratt practiced law in Kalamazoo from 1935-1968 except for Army service in World War II, then became the first black judge elected to Kalamazoo County’s new 8th Circuit Court, serving until his retirement in 1980.
Mazer also noted that the county government is looking for a new building.
