(File Photo: Source for Photo: Tim DeFoor, the Republican state auditor general of Pennsylvania, speaks at a campaign event at the Beerded Goat Brewing Co., April 25, 2024, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/ Marc Levy, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) Pennsylvania Auditor General Timothy DeFoor released an audit report last Wednesday that cited five Beaver County volunteer firefighters’ relief associations for issues of noncompliance. According to DeFoor’s office, Chippewa Township VFRA was listed as having “no findings” in an audit of records from January 1st, 2022, to December 31st, 2024. In the audit of records from January 1st, 2022, to December 31st, 2024, the Bridgewater Volunteer Fire Department Firemen’s Relief Association had one finding. According to Defoor’s report, this VFRA did not comply with a previous audit recommendation to maintain a Pennsylvania state sales tax exemption number. In the audit of records from January 1st, 2021 to December 31st, 2024, the Center Township Volunteer Fire Department Relief Association had one finding noted for unauthorized expenditures. In the audit of records from January 1st, 2020 to December 31st, 2023, the Daughtery Township VFRA had four findings noted. According to Defoor’s report, these findings were due to noncompliance with a prior audit recommendation to have surety (fidelity) bond coverage, undocumented expenditures, inadequate financial record-keeping system and failure to maintain a complete and accurate cumulative equipment roster. In the audit of records from January 1st, 2019, to December 31st, 2023, Hanover VFRA had five findings reported. According to DeFoor’s report, these findings were due to noncompliance with a prior audit recommendation regarding undocumented expenditures, unauthorized expenditures, failure to maintain surety (fidelity) bond coverage, inadequate minutes of meetings and relief association bylaws and failure to maintain a Pennsylvania sales tax exemption number.