Aging Unit audit gets 'clean opinion'

HURLEY - The Aging Unit of Iron County's board of directors heard that its financial books are in good shape Thursday.

Dean Beaudoin, certified public accountant of Makela, Pollack & Ahonen, PLLC, spoke to board members about the Aging Unit's audit.

"The books are fairly accurate," Beaudoin said. "That's what you want every year. ... to live within your means."

Beaudoin said the unit's financial situation received a "clean opinion," meaning revenues and expenditures broke just about even so far this year.

According to the statement of activities, total revenues are $527,164, down $979 from last year.

Program services expenses are down $15,077 from last year to a total of $525,576, with the largest reduction coming from wages because of changes in personnel.

An increase in wages for unit employees is a possibility in the future, but the budget is not quite there just yet.

Opal Roberts, member of the personnel and finance committees, said the personnel committee will discuss how wage increases will be determined when the budget is officially squared away.

"Until we know what we can move around, because we do want to give the salary increases, we have to know where the money's going to come from," she said.

Though the unit is getting extra money through grants to fit into this year's budget, finding a steady line item to fund the increase for future years needs to be established.

"We could pay for raises this year," Roberts said. "But next year; where are we going to get the money?"

For the 2013 year, the Aging Unit served a record nearly 45,000 meals. Eighty percent were served at the Hurley site, 13 percent in Mercer, 6 percent in Saxon and 1 percent in Springstead.

Directors also discussed moving forward with the possibility of getting a new roof.

The unit received some bids for the roof last year, but some were for half a roof and others were for the full roof. In addition, some sealed bids were submitted in writing, while others were done verbally over the phone.

"I think we should start from the beginning and do it correctly," Gene Hickey said. "Let's put it out in the paper, the specifications of exactly what we want."

The unit decided against pursuing the project last year because it was not in the appropriate financial situation. The unit isn't required to publicize that it is accepting bids for projects under certain costs.

"Even though it's not an amount that we'd officially have to put it in the paper, I think that we should just to be fair to all the contractors in town," Roberts said.

The unit will likely go to a contractor to draw up the building specs, and will then publish when it is accepting bids.

A special meeting to continue work on the bylaws that govern the unit's Board of Directors will be held 9 a.m. Tuesday at the courthouse.

The board's next monthly meeting will be 9 a.m. July 17.

at the Aging Unit building.