Greene Township of Trumbull County used more than $46,000 in taxpayer money to pay late fees after the township "failed to remit payroll withholdings timely" to various agencies, including the IRS.

The Ohio Auditor's office said it was two former fiscal officers that were responsible for making timely payments to avoid incurring penalties.

As the auditor points out in the report, paying late fees that could have been avoided by remitting withholdings on time, does not qualify as an expenditure of funds for a public purpose.

According to the audit, the township has not formally responded to this issue or a list of other repeated violations laid out in the report that took place under previous fiscal officers.

This includes errors in financial reporting, inaccurate bookkeeping, and overpayments as well as underpayments made to township employees.

Current Greene Township Fiscal Officer Erin Wakefield said the township has been aware of most of the issues, including the late fee situation, since the summer of 2023.

Wakefield said the spending of public funds was a result of confusion during the process of digitizing the township's payroll system.

She added they have since been working to improve the township's financial knowledge by attending training sessions and are in the process of getting over $46,000 back through a bonding insurance company.

The state said the township can seek repayment from the fiscal officers, the bonding company or a combination of both.

Wakefield said financial reporting errors have since been corrected, and the auditor's office said any corrective actions will be evaluated in the next audit.