Treasurer Check Processing Underway - Health Insurance Not Overpaid

SCHOHARIE — Schoharie County Treasurer Mary Ann Wollaber-Bryan defended her office after discussion among the County Board of Supervisors about whether the county overpaid its health insurance accounts and the status of 8,500 checks that supervisors asserted had not yet been reconciled.

The treasurer said that there was no truth about 8,500 checks not being reconciled. “While the reconciliation of checks is currently not occurring within the current financial system, it has, and always has been on a monthly basis. Reconciliation always happens,” she said.

Wollaber-Bryan said that there is a way to transfer financial data to the new Tyler Munis data system, but that it has not been entered by the Treasurer’s office.

She said that the Tyler Munis system is “very labor intensive.” She added that it processes functions differently than previous systems and that there is a “huge learning curve.”

The Treasurer said that the health insurance has “not been overpaid.” The actual expenses are above the budgeted amount. The rates are 50% higher than what was projected, she said. The budgeting accounted for a 10% increase, rather than the 15.5% that occurred. Public budget figures indicate that the increase was approximately 8.95%. The treasurer said that all invoices are paid monthly by the Treasurer’s Office. 

Wollaber-Bryan said that while her office is behind on reconciliation, it is actively working to catch up. She said that the new payroll system was implemented during the middle of a budget year, in September, making the “transition even more labor intensive.”

“Once that reconciliation is complete, we will have a better understanding of what occurred,” she said. Wollaber added that she is not sure that the reconciliation will be completed by the end of the month, but that the team is doing its best to complete the work. Multiple individuals are working on the health insurance reconciliation now.

The board of supervisors passed a resolution requesting a report from the Treasurer’s Office by the end of January.

The Treasurer said that there are a number of payroll items within the new system that makes it more complicated.

She said that most employees had been employed for more than 20 years and had an “exemplary record of fiscal responsibility.” She said that the office has had accolades from the state and that any issues occurred only after changing municipal systems.

The Treasurer said that as the Chief Fiscal Officer, she was limited in what she could do in county finances due to verification clearance. The office has a clear “separation of duties,” she said. There is also an annual budget duty. 

“While I am not actively involved in the daily reconciliation, I am involved in the daily management of the reconciliation. Getting updates, who is doing what, getting up to speed,” Wollaber-Bryan said.

The treasurer said that there was a “misunderstanding” causing the current issue between her office, the County Board of Supervisors, and the outgoing County Administrator Korsah Akumfi. The estimates on how much health insurance rates could change comes late in the budget season and take up two lines in the budget. She said that when you add in the two lines, the county had budgeted for “$10.47 million” rather than approximately $8.8 million referenced by Wright Supervisor Alex Luniewski.

The Treasurer said that she would speak at the next meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

“Absolutely,” she said.

Wollaber-Bryan said that Finance and Personnel Committee meetings will take place prior to the full board meeting, and she expects to likely address it then.

The treasurer argued that her office was running well. She said that all recent hires have been from the private sector, and that the remainder had been in for more than 20 years. She said that there were two retirements and one staff member was promoted to another county position.

The Treasurer said that she has an “open door policy” to members of the public and of county government. She wanted the public to know that the process of reconciliation is continuing and that the taxpayers’ money “is in good hands.”

“We just needed a little time,” she said.