WINONA LAKE — A review of facts by two Winona Lake boards over unauthorized use of town credit cards by town employees has led to reimbursements by two people.

Reimbursements were made by Parks Director Holly Hummitch for $1,336 and by Meghan Lincoln, a former deputy clerk treasurer (who was employed with the town from 2019 to 2022) for $640 for credit card purchases that were not authorized.

Hummitch used town credit cards for cell phone rental purchases. Lincoln used a town credit card for a car rental while she was on vacation in Hawaii, and for other small purchases.

Details about the investigations came to light in a series of recent actions and appear to be the final moves by the town regarding an audit released in late June by the State Board of Accounts concerning town recordkeeping and oversight that also exposed credit card misuse by employees.

Recent events include:

• Town Council announced on Oct. 28 its conclusion of a credit card investigation, saying the town had been "made whole" as a result, but officials had declined to release details.
• That then led to a formal request by News Now Warsaw seeking documents that would explain who was investigated and how much money was reimbursed to the town.
• The town then released more details on Nov. 5, and included a statement defending its actions and clarifying other issues.
• A day later, the town park board met and announced its conclusions involving Hummitch.

The statement said the additional details of the investigation into other employees were released in order "to provide maximum transparency and to help clarify several points we believe have been mischaracterized," the town statement said in part.

The moves come after calls by some people online and at town meetings to recover some of the misused money.

In complying with the Freedom of Information Act request, the town also issued a statement and then contacted other media, encouraging them to cover the issue.

The 19 pages included correspondences, exhibits, lists, and a redacted billing statement for a rental car used by Lincoln while on vacation in Hawaii.

In the statement, the town pointed out that the Indiana State Board of Accounts did not require any reimbursements and did not suggest any prosecutorial action be taken.

The responsibility of conducting an investigation was given to the town, the statement said.

The council also said that it remains committed to restoring and maintaining respect for taxpayer funds, and then added, “We also care deeply about transparency and accountability to our constituents, which is why we continue to respond to public concern and provide factual clarity in the face of speculation and misinformation.”

Town leaders have already enacted numerous changes in policy to prevent future problems outlined in the audit.

A longer list of purchases by Lincoln was determined to be reasonable and well-documented.

The town tried to put the circumstances into perspective.

"These purchases occurred during a time when formal standard operating procedures were underdeveloped," and were made in good faith and served legitimate town purposes, the town said.

The town also reviewed a list of credit card purchases by Town Marshal Joe Hawn, but found those to be acceptable.

At the end of the statement, the town pointed out that the park board has authority over the park director, but did not mention that the park board meeting would be the next day.

The post Final results: Two workers reimburse Winona Lake for credit card use appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WINONA LAKE — Online reaction to Winona Lake Town Council’s decision not to take any further action against town employees accused of misusing town credit cards was overwhelmingly negative.

Many residents waited months to see what, if anything, the town council would do after a state audit showed town credit cards appeared to have been misused by some town employees for several years.

Council has taken several steps to improve recordkeeping and financial operations of the town following the report and has expressed regret over the circumstances.

But Council president Ashley McGinnis announced Tuesday that discussions with employees led to the return of some money, but that no further action would be taken.

In a written statement read at Tuesday's council meetinng, McGinnis said some money had been recovered.

Some, she said afterward, were deemed legitimate after looking into the issue further..

As a result, McGinnis said the town had been "made whole" and that no further action would be taken.

Town officials have not identified the workers who were investigated following the audit report or how much money was returned.

One of those who is not pleased is Dave Wollkins, who spent years on the town council before being elected to the state legislature several decades ago.

Wolkins, who now sits on Kosicusko County Council, has watched the fallout of the audit and was asked for his impressions after this week's decision.

One of the many issues that Wolkins found troubling in the state audit was the lack of accountability concerning an older 2.5-ton dump truck, which some believe was simply given away without any documentation.

“I am so disappointed – the lack of transparency is just sickening,” Wolkins said Wednesday. “When they say the town is made whole, what does that mean? Do we get the dump truck back?”

Wolkins said he wants the town to release more information.

“I defended that board to a lot of my friends (thinking) they would in fact take care of the situation and be transparent about it, and we would know what happened," he said. "And obviously, that has not happened.”

Previous stories:

Still no decisions on how Winona Lake will respond …

State report outlines numerous improper practices by Winona Lake town employees

The post Wolkins irked with lack of transparency over Winona Lake Town Council investigation appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WINONA LAKE — The town of Winona Lake has completed its investigation into a state board of accounts report involving specific town employees and announced on Tuesday that concerns have been resolved.

The town reached out to an undisclosed number of current and former town employees in an effort to allow them to explain their circumstances and provide evidence.

Town Council President Ashley McGinnis read a prepared statement at the end of Tuesday's meeting.

“Each response included detailed explanations and full documentation, and we’re pleased to report the town has been made whole through this process,” MicGinnis said in a written statement read aloud at the end of the council meeting.

“With this matter resolved, the council will now move forward with previously outlined goals to continue strengthening transparent, compliance and internal operations,” the statement read.

In one instance, a town employee used a town credit card while on vacation in Hawaii. That money was repaid, according to McGinnnis.

After the meeting, News Now Warsaw sought further clarification.

“There were a few others that didn’t have enough documentation, so they were also (asked to) just pay back,” McGinnis said. “And then the ones that had documentation showed that there was a purpose for the town.” 

No other details were released.

Some town residents have called for repayment of town money that was misused.

It's unclear if any employee reprimands or other types of personnel actions were implemented following the investigation.

The town has declined to disclose who exactly was investigated and how much money has been returned to the town.

The state board of accounts report was issued five months ago and was critical of a lack of adherence to standard bookkeeping practices. It also highlighted how some town employees appeared to misuse town credit cards.

Another aspect of the report dealt with the construction of 11 residential wells that were provided to town residents without formal approval. Officials have since defended the granting of wells to residents, which was never approved with a  public vote or documented in council minutes.

Town Attorney Adam Turner told News Now Warsaw previously that exactly who was being investigated could be determined by reading the 88-page report.

Previous stories:

Still no decisions on how Winona Lake will respond ...

State report outlines numerous improper practices by Winona Lake town employees

The post Final decision: WL Town Council won’t take further action against employees mentioned in audit appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WINONA LAKE — Nearly three months after an Indiana state audit exposed internal problems with Winona Lake government operations, town council still has not determined what to do — if anything — with town employees accused of misusing town money.

Town officials have implemented numerous policy changes to correct issues cited in the report, but residents have called for action against employees who appeared to use town money without formal approval.

Last month, Council President Ashley McGinnis said they would be reaching out to those accused to give them a chance to respond before officials make any decisions.

On Tuesday, McGinnis said they’ve had trouble contacting one of those people and were still attempting to do so. 

Exactly when they hope to reach any conclusions on the issue was unclear.

Several current and former employees used money without approval, according to an audit by the State Board of Accounts, which was made public in late June. Town officials were briefed on the contents of the audit before the release and said afterward that they began taking action on some of the matters before the public release.

Many of the biggest concerns highlighted in the audit dealt with shoddy recordkeeping and standard communictions that spanned several years and dated back to the time when the late Kent Adams served as clerk-treasurer.

Much of the misuse of money involved the unauthorized use of town credit cards, including one instance in which a deputy clerk used one while vacationing in Hawaii.

Town Attorney Adam Turner was asked last month to identify who the town is reaching out to, but declined and said that that can be figured out by reading the audit.

Council on Tuesday heard more about plans to amend the town's employee handbook to clarify policies that came up in the audit. The new policies have not yet been finalized but should be in force by Jan. 1.

The town also approved plans to outsource payroll duties, which had been a sore point for the town.

Cost of outsourcing is expected to be about $2,000 per year, James said.

"We continue to move forward with the audit report in mind, looking to diligently to restore respect to taxpayer dollars while also ensuring that our employees are treated with fairness and clarity," McGinnis said.

No other town officials had anything to say in public about the matter on Tuesday.

In another matter, town officials were criticized Tuesday over handling of the proposed 2026 budget after it came to light that the council will seek to collect an additional $150,000 from the tax levy that they recently discovered was available.

A hearing on the budget plan was held at Tuesday's meeting.

Two residents asked about a 35 percent increase in part of the town budget that apparently had not yet been discussed in a public setting prior to Tuesday.

Clerk-Treasurer Heather James said they learned that about $150,000 in additional revenue would be available through the town's tax levy late in the budget process from a consulting firm, Baker Tilly.

Jim LeMasters, who is familiar with budgeting through his work with Warsaw Community Schools, questioned the town’s methodology.

"I'm just curious about how you build your budget. It sounds like ... that you have money and then you go back and look what you're going to do with it," LeMasters said.

"At the schools, we do it just the opposite. We have projects we do, and then we set our budget," he said.

James said they chose to include the additional money in the budget and that they would like to use the money on future projects, which she declined to detail.

"We really didn't have the time to figure out (how) we were going to use that money," James said.

The post Still no decisions on how Winona Lake will respond to misused money involving employees appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW —  Plans to provide Kosciusko County probation workers with a sizeable raise for next year once again fell into doubt Thursday, based on advice from the Indiana State Board of Accounts.

County Council had preliminarily decided last month to provide $10,000 stipends to 11 probation officers to help overcome pay deficiencies, which have been a nagging issue since last year.

But Council President Tony Cirillo announced Thursday night that they had been informed hours earlier that if the county chooses to provide the stipends, they would be obligated to continue that level of compensation in the future.

That didn't seem like a workable situation, so the council then proposed that the probation officers instead receive a two percent pay hike, which is what most county employees will receive next year.

The large raise has been under consideration for a long time and was strongly supported in recent weeks by four local judges. 

The new development did not settle well with one of those, Superior Court II Judge Torrey Bauer.

“We would like to know who specifically is providing that information by name so we can contact general counsel so they can speak directly and find out what legal authority they are relying on in providing that,” Bauer said.

Ciriello encouraged the idea of seeking out a clarification on the matter but  responded:

“State Board of Accounts is the one that governs everything we do with tax dollars,” Criellow said, drawing a quick reply from Bauers who pointed out that the stipends would come from user fees and not property tax revenues.

“I understand it's a little different situation, but they are our governing authority that we have to go by,” Ciriello said.

Council ultimately decided to hold off on a final decision on the use of stipends until Bauer’s concerns are addressed.

The vote in August supported the use of stipends and passed by a vote of 5-2, but included a caveat that made it clear that the council wanted to make sure the plan was workable before final approval.

Council also reviewed a long list of other minor adjustments to the 2026 budget plan and approved all except for the stipend dispute.

The post Big raises for probation officers once again in limbo appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WINONA LAKE — As expected, Heather James was appointed as the new Winona Lake Clerk-Treasurer Tuesday night by a Republican Caucus to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Laurie Renier.

James, who beat Renier in the May Primary and was set to take office in January, will now have the chance to begin rebuilding the office.

She said she's been gearing up to take over for months and knows there is plenty work to be done

"It is a big challenge. I don't think anyone can deny that," Thomas said. "I think this opportunity — especially what we've done here in the recent past — we've identified some problems and an opportunity to correct them and move forward and and make sure we're doing everything as we should."

She said one of her first priorities will be to begin filling two vacancies by deputies who quit their jobs along with Renier earlier this month.

The clerk’s office remans in the middle of a audit by the Indiana State Board of Accounts. Town council contends Renier did a poor job and Renier claims the office was a mess before she arrived in 2021.

James said she believes it could very well take several months to right the ship.

As a result of taking the job, James had to resign her seat on council, and Republicans will now work to fill that vacancy.

A caucus to fill that seat is now scheduled for Nov. 6.

The post James assumes office after WL caucus appointment appeared first on News Now Warsaw.