Where did the money go?

Use of Wild Spaces & Public Places revenues raises questions

Sales tax revenues designated for Alachua County Wild Spaces & Public Places Program may have been spent on things other than recreation after it was deposited into Hawthorne’s general fund.

In a letter sent to county and city officials on Thursday, Jan. 20, identifying the issue, Parks & Recreation Manager Samuel Wynkoop said as of Dec. 31, 2010, the City of Hawthorne received $142,898.65, and spent $27,800.73 on recreation, leaving a current balance of $115,472.92.

“These funds,” Wynkoop wrote, “were deposited directly into the general fund, which I surmise, due to lack of appropriate tracking, were spent elsewhere on other expenditures.”

According to his letter, Wynkoop found “vast discrepancies” in the revenue and expenditure reports that were compiled by his predecessors before he was hired.

John Brower, management analyst for the Alachua County Office for Management and Budget, confirmed Wynkoop’s calculations in an e-mail after reviewing the Wild Spaces revenue and expenditure history.

The money, which has not yet been accounted for, was raised after voters approved the initiative in November 2008 to raise the local sales tax by one-half cent to improve recreation facilities and conserve land. The county-wide sales tax expired in December 2010.

Now it’s up to the city to find out if and how the money was spent.

In an e-mail sent to County Manager Randall Reid, Hawthorne Mayor Eleanor Randall wrote that she plans to review the matter with the new interim city manager once he or she is hired.

“The City appreciates the importance of this matter and will take the necessary steps to resolve it,” she wrote.

In an effort to help expedite the process, Reid offered the county budget staff’s assistance in examining the Wild Spaces cash flow, which Randall seemed to accept in her e-mail, writing “it will be helpful to have your staff assisting with this process.”

This financial discrepancy only furthers the budget issues that the City of Hawthorne has faced this year. After months without a balanced budget, Hawthorne officials continue to struggle while trying to find an interim city manager to fill former city manager Ed Smyth’s position.