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1/9/12
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4 comments
Public needs to know about finances
The steps taken so far by the Oscoda County Area Transit Specialists (OCATS) board to deal with the organization’s troubled financial situation are positive ones for the future of the organization.
In order to regain the public’s trust in OCATS, board members need to learn what went wrong, and then share that information with the public so that those mistakes are not made again. OCATS has been, and can be a viable community organization, but the road back will not be easy.
OCATS shut down in the middle of November after it was found that the OCATS building and vehicles did not have insurance, and that the agency did not file for nonprofit status. It is puzzling how an organization such as OCATS neglected to take care of what seems like routine procedural matters, but the fact is that it happened, and members of the board need to figure out why.
Two developments have occurred that bode well for OCATS’ future. The first is the appointment of Mio resident Jo Swartzendruber as the organization’s interim executive director. Swartzendruber has demonstrated her commitment to the community and her desire to see OCATS become a viable entity once again, and she has the necessary job experience to help make that happen.
The second of these developments is an audit of OCATS by the Michigan Department of Transportation. MDOT is reportedly doing a thorough investigation of all of OCATS’ financial activities, including run calls and mileage sheets.
This is another step in the right direction. Once this audit is completed, the OCATS board needs to communicate with county residents what went wrong with the organization, and what steps the board is taking to fix the situation.
We understand that this is going to take time, and we know it won’t be easy. However, ensuring that OCATS has a future in Oscoda County is worth taking these steps.
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You never mention the Board having any accountability for what went wrong. Wasn't that part of their duties? To watch over the operations? Why is it that they seem to be skating free of any blame for this situation? Not only is there no blame but you're crediting them with "saving" the place, that just seems wrong.
I was under the impression this is a whole new board operatin OCATS now and that the 2 people running the office are gone and the one incharge of doing the insurance, bills,etc left and took all the paper work with her. We need to look at the old board and the office staff of the past. To see what went wrong. I am user of OCATS and when I called them for a ride after reopening they were not aware of the fees charged by the last group and they were shocked when I told them that the former OCAT organzation charged 7.00 dollars round trip from my home on 14th street to Glenns for one hour of shopping and from Mio to Grayling it was 40.00 dollars round trip. As I was told by the new oganization they were going to look at fees as well as other things so that Ocats can continue to serve OSCODA county.
The OCATS board just keeps saying the same thing article after article. The board, whether former, or new, has done nothing in the way of communicating with the former director to get answers. They just keep accusing, or dropping hints about papers missing,or other wrong doings. I agree with "just watching" The board is as much at fault for anything out of place. This is just a media circus of slight of hand. I'm glad the board feels that the interim director can go from Human Resources experience, and Grant writing, to a transportation director, because it sure is getting a lot of attention.
Some day soon, the facts will surface, and the public will realize just what spin doctors they are.
The people of Mio should be extremely grateful to the people that have taken on the operations of OCATS. Trying to make this service viable is a monumental task. Many hours have already been spent working on the operations and the state requirements. Nobody is totally understanding of all the things that caused the shutdown but when the reviews, audits, ect. are completed I am sure this information will be released to the public. As to sit back and make comments about the board and the people trying to make this operation run again that are negative is not the proper thing to do.Let's make our comments and remarks when we have all the facts. We can not make judgements on people and there abilities until you know everything that has happened. Do make your judgements when OCATS is back on stable ground. Then we can thank the people that saved OCATS instead of putting them down. So get the facts before you judge.