Following an almost two-hour executive session, the Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities voted Tuesday night to lift the investigational review on its superintendent, Eric Young, and let him continue his duties with a verbal warning.
“We need to focus on what our finances are so that all of the services we provide can continue,” Young said.
Young was initially put under a 30-day review by board members last month, following a stakeholders meeting revealing that the board saw itself plummeting into multimillion dollar debt within the coming year.
However, Jill Thompson, the county auditor, said the board’s numbers didn’t “hold water.”
Since, business manager Stephen Kramer has been working to address Thompson’s concerns and review the board’s numbers dating back to 2009.
Kramer added that he hopes to regain the trust of stakeholders, who he said have feared the worse for Beacon School and Atco, the job-training provider for people with disabilities. Both are funded by the board, which typically has an annual budget of about $6 million.
“A lot more people want to know what’s going on since the last stakeholders meeting,” said Rebecca West, a retired Beacon School employee who worked there for more than 31 years.
“I spent most of my life at Beacon, I want to see how this turns out.”
The board and Thompson are currently predicting a $1.1 million deficit next year, John Day, board president, said in a previous Post article.
Kramer said the board’s numbers are now beginning to tie up with the auditor’s, alleviating former confusion.
“This information is going to be more transparent,” Kramer said. “We need to regain the full faith of the stakeholders.”
Kramer said he wants to hire a public accounting firm to evaluate the board’s numbers and verify its audits and transactions.
Annie Pepper, probate judge appointment for the board, stood behind Kramer’s decision to hire the accountant, who would cost less than $10,000.
“We are trying to establish an unbiased reconciliation, because it’s been discussed that the person who is chosen cannot have any ties to the board,” Pepper said.
Terry Conry, county commissioner appointment for the board, said the board needs to move as quickly as possible on this hire before the next stakeholders meeting.
About 50 citizens showed up to the board meeting at Beacon School, trickling out after realizing that information regarding the potential privatization of Beacon School would not be revealed. Many attendees wore buttons to support Beacon’s employees and students.
“It’s never been our intent to privatize,” Young said. “We have to remain sustainable for the future. Next year, if our numbers don’t improve, that’s something we may have to think about.”
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