August 21, 2023 |
Photo – Medicine Bow Logo – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation collected financial records from the Medicine Bow town hall earlier this year. The exhaustive state audit continues.
The lack of clear bookkeeping records led to the state becoming involved. As a result, the current governing body in Medicine Bow does not have a clear picture of the town’s finances. Earlier this year, the state stepped in to perform a comprehensive audit of the town’s budget. The audit has not been completed.
During the August 14th Medicine Bow town council meeting, Councilwoman Sharon Kahl said the government accounting software used by the town, called Casselle, wasn’t functioning. Councilwoman Kahl said the town is unable to pay any bills until the system is fixed.
Councilwoman Kahl said the town’s finances were effectively frozen until a Casselle representative could come from Utah to update the system.
Responding to a question from Maintenance Operator Frank Fisher, Councilwoman Kahl blamed Casselle for the town’s financial problems. Councilman Justin George said the accounting software company’s technician will resolve the town’s ongoing issues with Casselle.
As of the August 14th meeting, the council members had no timeline for when the Casselle technician would arrive.
As reported by Bigfoot99, Medicine Bow hired a new town attorney. Cameron Smith, of Pence and MacMillan in Laramie, has taken the place of former attorney Robert Piper.
When the town announced Smith’s appointment, Councilman George said he wanted the new attorney to investigate the status of the state’s audit. George said Casselle wasn’t functioning because DCI removed documents related to the financial probe from town hall.
Councilman George also said Attorney Smith should consult with the previous attorney about the town’s continuing struggle with Oftedal Construction over the condition of the roads.
Councilwoman Kahl said she saw DCI remove large boxes of records from the town hall. When asked by a resident about the location of the documents, the councilwoman said DCI must still have the files.
During a break in last Monday’s town council meeting, Bigfoot99’s reporter was told by a Medicine Bow resident that DCI’s involvement in the audit meant it was likely someone would be charged with a crime.
Medicine Bow officials said they do not know when the DCI investigation will be over. Bigfoot99’s calls to DCI’s Cheyenne headquarters went unanswered.
