Residents of Vienna Township, Ohio, question trustees as part of investigation into missing $1.3 million

VIENNA TWP., Ohio (WKBN) — Vienna Township Trustees held a special meeting Wednesday night while a criminal investigation and an audit of the $1.3 million budget deficit are ongoing.

Due to the funding deficit, the city’s police chief resigned and numerous emergency workers were laid off.

The burning question that still needs to be answered is when the investigation will be completed. Local residents want to know what the results will be.

At the meeting, trustees answered questions from residents about the investigation into missing money from the municipality’s bank accounts.

“How much money should we actually have?” asked one resident.

“One million dollars was reported missing. The money was transferred from a money market account. Was it ever determined who transferred the money? Or where it went?” asked another resident.

But this investigation could take months.

“It’s probably over a year away. I don’t think we’ll see that in 2024. Most likely it will be 2025 before the investigation comes out,” said Trustee Phil Pegg.

In the meantime, the municipality is trying to move on. It is seeking to fire the zoning officer and hire a new one so that the municipality can continue its regular business.

That clerk, Linda McCullough, was the financial officer who resigned in the wake of the revelations, but the board wanted to wait for a second opinion from the county attorney’s office before making a decision on the dismissal.

“I just think you can always get a second opinion from the district attorney’s office. It doesn’t cost us anything. They do it for free and then we can take the necessary steps at the July meeting,” said trustee Richard Dascenzo Jr.

What is clear is that the municipality is over a million dollars in debt and that amount has not yet been repaid. However, officials are reviewing the new treasurer’s regular financial reports – something that was not done before.

“We – and the trustees – are much more involved than in the past,” Pegg said.

The municipality is looking at various ways to raise the money, including selling some of the patrol cars and radar equipment that is on the way. There will be a 30-day warning period starting in July before tickets are sent out in August.

“I’ve been getting calls from Niles-Vienna Road. We want the cameras here first,” Pegg said. “They got a ticket for a person driving 65 instead of 45.”

A 14-acre parcel behind Baker Elementary School could also be offered for sale, but trustees would not like to pursue that route.

“We’re not going to give it away. That’s not going to happen. The land will be prime real estate once there’s sewerage on Sheridan Drive,” Pegg said.

The Trustees have also decided to establish separate funds within the General Fund to better monitor their financial situation.

“Trust is a difficult thing. We trusted when that was obviously not the case,” Pegg said.

The next community meeting is scheduled for July 1st.