Luzerne County Government

April 28, 2010

Controller seeking all contracts

Griffith scrambles to get pacts to see if payment requests properly authorized.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
Jennifer Learn-Andes on Facebook   |   @TLJenLearnAndes on Twitter

Luzerne County Controller Walter Griffith said he and his staff are wasting too much time tracking down contracts to determine if payment requests are properly authorized, so he has ordered managers to send all contracts to his office as required by state law by June 1.

He also asked for all deeds, vehicle and equipment titles, bills of sale and any other records of property owned by county government.

Griffith told all managers in a Monday afternoon e-mail that the state County Code says the Controller’s Office must have custody of all county title deeds and contracts.

The code also allows a controller to refuse payment when there is no contract on file or when contracts were not publicly approved and signed by county commissioners, he said in the e-mail. He also noted commissioners are the only county officials authorized to enter into contracts on behalf of the county and its departments.

Griffith advised managers to forward the documents in a “timely manner” so payments to vendors aren’t held up.

He wants original documents and advised managers to make copies if they need them for their records. Documents could be scanned and stored on the county’s computer server if managers don’t want to waste paper, Griffith said.

The Controller’s Office already has several hundred copies of contracts on file. Accounts manager Jason Parrish has been scanning them into the computer and labeling them so they are instantly accessible, Griffith said. Documents that arrive in coming weeks will also be scanned, he said.

Griffith said he’s not sure why some contracts and title deeds weren’t forwarded to his office as required by law.

“The past practice has been that once a contract is signed, the department head often gets it and hangs onto it,” Griffith said. “We have 70-some departments, and everyone seems to be doing their own thing.”

The Controller’s Office did not have copies of several contracts that have come under scrutiny in recent months, including ones for a River Common video, the Wyoming Valley Airport management company and a county records improvement consultant, he said.

Griffith said he and his employees are matching all payment requests to contracts to make sure the county is not overpaying or paying without commissioners’ approval.

The county has a wide range of contracts, including ones for professional services, equipment and vehicle maintenance, computer software and property leasing.

“All contracts should be in one central place on file for anyone to look at. There should be none of this scrambling around,” Griffith said.

Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333.

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