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March 10, 2011 Minutes
Minutes
Town of Akan Regular Board Meeting
March 10, 2011 7:00 p.m.
Akan Town Hall
Call to Order: by Chairman Howard Oates, at 7:00 p.m.
Pledge of Allegiance: led by Clerk Marie Leifheit
Roll Call: Chairman Howard Oates, Treasurer Jan Harris, Supervisor Mark Storms, Supervisor Parker Weum, Clerk Marie Leifheit
Verify Posting: Chair. Oates verified that the meeting was properly posted.
Minutes: Spv. Storms made the motion to accept the minutes as presented; Spv. Weum. Seconded the motion; motion passed.
Treasurer’s Report: Spv. Weums made the motion to accept the Treasurer’s report; Spv. Storms seconded the motion; motion passed.
Present and Approve Bills for Payment: Spv. Storms made the motion to approve the bills for payment; Spv. Weum. Seconded the motion; motion passed.
Public Comments: there were none
New Business:
RCFD representative re: Pond Lane: Lt. Steve Kruger from the RCFD presented a proposal requesting permission to take Pond Lane, located in the Town of Richwood, out of the RCFD fire district and turn it over to the Blue River FD as approved by the BRFD. Spv. Weum made a motion to approve the proposal if property owner Fred Tiller agrees to the redistricting; Spv. Storms seconded the motion; will wait for Mr. Tiller’s response.
Ken Leifheit re: township accounting: see attached copy.
April Election: April 5, 2011
Annual Township Meeting: April 12, 2011 (bring dish to pass)
Spring Clean-Up: April 23 & April 30
(add) Clerk’s Notes:
Board of Review can be anytime after May 9, 2011, and before June 7, 2011.
Open Book will be held 2 weeks before the Board of Review.
There will be proper posting and notification for both.
Fred Clary, Rural Insurance, will attend the July meeting to discuss Akan’s insurance needs.
Clerk Leifheit has applied to become a notary.
Old Business:
Roads: Chair./Road Supervisor Oates reported that the winter roads are being maintained.
Adjourn: Spv. Storms made the motion to adjourn; Spv. Weums seconded the motion; motion passed
Respectfully Submitted by,
Marie Leifheit, Clerk
Town of Akan
Review of Payroll & Accounting Systems
At the February Town meeting, I reported to you that I had taken a brief look at what was being done to prepare Akan payroll and file the required government reports as well as deposit the required taxes withheld. I was told that you were interested in a more comprehensive operation that would either be hired out to an accounting service or possibly formalized on an in-house system that would be structured in such a way that we would not be exposed to paycheck errors and subsequent penalties for improper filings. I reported that at least one service, I&R of Richland Center, could provide such a service at about $100 per month. I also stated that I thought the offer was reasonable because that was what I felt I would charge to provide such a service.
Since that meeting, I was approached by several members of the community who expressed a desire that I would perform the work. In looking at the requirements in more detail I feel that, yes, I can and would be willing to perform the duties for the Town. That said, I still feel strongly that what is needed is a payroll and accounting system that can be used by future clerks regardless of their expertise with computer based systems. Following is a report of the work I have performed to date and an outline of proposed work to be done in the near future.
1. Review of existing method and recent payroll preparations.
- I reviewed the existing method of preparing paychecks and filing the related tax withholdings and government forms. Two small errors were discovered in the January paycheck calculations for which adjustments were made on the March paychecks. The existing spreadsheets used to calculate paychecks required revisions to properly calculate overtime premium, one of the sources of several errors. Numerous minor errors were discovered in a partial review of the 2010 payrolls. These were mostly offsetting so I am recommending that the year 2010 not be reopened for correction unless required by the State or Federal government. We subsequently received a bill from the State for deposit errors plus interest (See item in Expense report), but fortunately no penalties were assessed. We have also received 3 notices from the Federal IRS that they are making small refunds for reporting errors. I have not tracked down the cause of these items and, as stated above, do not intend to unless required.
- I made several revisions to the Excel spreadsheets used to calculate payroll. I also established links between the individual paychecks and the spreadsheet forms used to file the government reports and tax deposits. Both the February and March payrolls were prepared using these revised spreadsheets and the January payroll was recalculated to verify accuracy. The three monthly tax deposits were made for the 1st quarter and the 1st quarter 941 filing was submitted.
- A blanket e-mail was sent to Wisconsin clerks to determine what was being used for payroll and accounting in other jurisdictions. A few use a system developed by a clerk who sells his system to others at a premium fee. A couple of others use various accounting systems. By far, the most use the QuickBooks Payroll System. I examined our computer and found that both the QuickBooks Accounting system and QuickBooks Payroll were purchased and installed in January of 2009. Neither were ever used. The accounting system will still function at this time. The Payroll system requires an annual subscription to keep it up to date and active. I contacted Intuit, the company that supplies the system, and had them open and restore our system for use. However, the Payroll part of the system is subject to annual subscription payments to keep it active and update it to the most current Federal and State laws.
2. Accounting Systems.
- I attended the seminar in Barneveld regarding the filing of the annual CT report, due March 31.
- 2010 cash flow report was examined, brought up to date and corrected in preparation of the CT filing.
3. Proposed work for Akan Township.
- Create an Akan Township system for payroll preparation and related government filings. This would be a system that anyone with little expertise in computer operation could use. It would include not only the required software to complete the task but a manual describing exactly how to use the system. This may involve the purchase of the QuickBooks Payroll subscription at a cost of about $300 per year. This subscription would keep us up-to-date on all governmental changes to payroll without the worry of independently researching such revisions. It may also include my completion of an on-line internet course in QuickBooks Payroll. This I would only bill to Akan if I take the course and feel it is worth the cost and time involved. I may be able to get up to speed by other means including a manual called “QuickBooks for Dummies” that I have requested from the library system.
- Develop a comprehensive system of reports for the Town of Akan that prepares budgets, cash flows, CT reports, and other information that is helpful and required in administering the affairs of Township government. I envision a rolling 12-month budget that reports the status each month with columns identifying what has happened and what remains to be spent. This report would be seasonally adjusted to reflect expenses and revenues that happen at certain times of the year.
- Create a payroll system that can be used by future clerks who may not necessarily possess refined computer skills. This system would prepare paychecks, accumulate the data required to be reported to the various governmental bodies, and include a manual on its use written in laymen’s language.
4. I propose to perform these tasks for the Town of Akan at a cost of $100 per month plus expenses during the next 2 or 3 months. During this time, I will keep the existing payroll system up to date while attempting to create something that will be useful into the future. I will also assist in the filing of the 2010 CT report, due March 31, 2011. Payment for this service can be made as an addition to Clerk M. Leifheit’s paycheck who will then reimburse me as a Deputy Clerk, negating the problem of adding another employee to the payroll.
Respectfully Submitted by
Ken Leifheit
March 10, 2011
Archive:
October 13, 2011 October 2011 Meeting Minutes
May 29, 2011 Truck Purchase - Special Meeting Minutes
May 12, 2011 Regular Board Meeting Minutes
March 10, 2011 Minutes
February 10, 2011 Minutes
January 26, 2011 Special Meeting Minutes
January 13, 2011 Minutes
January 13, 2011 Caucus
September 9, 2010 September 9, 2010 Regular Board Meeting
August 12, 2010 August 12, 2010 Regular Board Minutes