Petty Cash Funds for Forks Recreation Board to be Determined

Forks officials will now sit down to figure out how much should be appropriated into a petty cash fund for the Recreation Board.

On Tuesday, township supervisors handed down the task of placing an amount of funds to be issued into a petty cash fund for the board during a workshop meeting with members of the board, Forks Township Youth Sports Organization and planning commission last night. The Forks Township Parks and Recreation Director, township Finance Manager and Forks Township Recreation Board Treasurer will now meet to discuss an amount.

Among other things at odds, the Sept. 8 draft ordinance called for board members to vacate their seats immediately. The newly appointed members would then be appointed for five year, non-staggered terms.

The newly proposed ordinance now allows board members to remain in their positions and vacate once terms expire. The terms are for five years and staggered. Currently, board members serve a five –year staggered term.

Just last week, supervisors voted 3-2 to reduce a previously granted $10,000 petty cash fund to the board down to $5,000. Among other stipulations, the account that was opened for the board at Lafayette Ambassador Bank will also be closed. Funds that need to be withdrawn will now come from a newly created PNC Bank account. Voting against the measure were supervisors Erik Chuss and Robert Egolf.

The decision was part of the township’s effort to draft a new ordinance for the board. Supervisors C. David Howell and Lilly Gioia brought the issue of revising the original 1960 ordinance to the table last year. Officials say the ordinance is outdated and does not fulfill the needs of the current municipality that now has several parks, a community center, and newly acquired parcels.

The board was also told to relinquish any funds that remained in the Lafayette bank account to the township. Supervisors then created a petty cash fund for the board that would allow them to pay for coaches, umpires and miscellaneous items. The decision to reduce petty cash for the board came as a surprise after board members appeared before supervisors in January. During that meeting supervisors voted down, 3-2 to introduce the new draft ordinance and voted unanimously in favor of providing a petty cash fund of $10,000.

“I really don’t know what the petty cash is going to be used for now,” said organization treasurer John O'Neil. “I don’t see the need for it. Not after what you did last week.”

Wieller told supervisors $10,000 is barely enough money to pay for coaches and umpires for the basketball season.  Recreation Board President Carl “Butch” Scerbo said costs for basketball totaled out around $7,000 and baseball costs are even higher.

“Everybody here has the best interest of Forks,” Supevisor Lilly Gioia.

When prompted why the supervisors attempted to approve a draft ordinance that had not included complete board input Gioia said the hope was to save time consuming work that had been done already. But the intention was to then go back and “pair it down” to a place that all could agree upon.

Under the draft ordinance, the board would also give input to the zoning and planning boards when applications that include potential parks are proposed. The ordinance must first be introduced by supervisors and a public hearing be held before a final vote on the ordinance can be made.