Montgomery’s debit card wrongfully used for AT&T, Consumers bills

MONTGOMERY — Village of Montgomery President Richard Beem has confirmed the Michigan State Police is investigating misuse of the village’s debit card.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Hillsdale Daily News on Jan. 12, Beem released a number of emails from the village’s clerk to the village’s board.

In one such email, with a subject line “police report,” Village Clerk Ann Snellenberger informed the village board of trustees that the village’s debit card was used to pay an AT&T bill for $432.26 which was listed in the village’s books as a “Modern Waste deduction.”

Snellenberger further stated in the email that the village does not have a AT&T account and that they confirmed with Modern Waste no such bill for the amount was ever issued to the village.

More: Montgomery treasurer’s termination uncovers possible money mishandling

On April 18, a Consumers Energy bill was paid with the village’s bank card in the amount of $166.94 and Consumers verified that there was never an invoice issued to the village in the amount.

The village also had “several Amazon purchases” not entered into its ledgers that they are working on reviewing receipts for. There were at least three Amazon transactions from January 2023 that the village could not account for.

The emails, released under Michigan’s FOIA act, confirmed the Michigan State Police took a report on Jan. 2 with the findings since former Village Treasurer Jule Fish was terminated on Nov. 6, 2023, for not following village protocols in a 4-3 split vote of the board of trustees.

A source close to the investigation first disclosed that the village discovered misuse of its debit card in the wake of Fish’s termination in early January. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisal and being unauthorized to speak on the investigation.

Michigan State Police Lt. Kevin Rod said Wednesday, Jan. 10, that he could not confirm nor deny that troopers were investigating the incident; the anonymous source said Trooper Kenneth Jarchow was handling the investigation.

Village President Richard Beem, after consulting with the village’s attorney, declined to comment on the matters Thursday, Jan. 11 resulting in a FOIA request by The Hillsdale Daily News seeking any and all written communication from the village regarding misuse of the village’s finances since Jan. 1, 2023.

Beem cited Michigan Case Law in his FOIA response partially denying the release of some communication between the village and law enforcement due to their ongoing investigation.

Fish’s termination Nov. 6, 2023, was motioned by Trustee Jared Perskins and seconded by Trustee Jennifer McMinn. Beem and two other trustees voted no on the matters.

Fish had previously been disciplined for not following procedures that the village clerk was supposed to receive the village’s official mail, fill out a voucher form for bill payment and then hand the voucher to the treasurer for payment. However, the clerk only got access to the village’s P.O. Box after Fish’s termination.

Immediately following Fish’s termination, Trustee Kara Warren asked the board if “anyone had seen the results of the audit” conducted in 2023, which Beem had reported on Sept. 11, 2023, that “no errors were found in the village's audit.”

But during the board’s December 2023 meeting, the village’s accountant, Greg Bailey, reported the only audit that had been conducted was for Act 51 monies and sent to the state of Michigan as required.

Bailey explained that he spoke with Fish and a village Trustee earlier in the year and said a full audit was needed, but that he needed a copy of meeting minutes authorizing the audit, which he never received. Bailey added the village was due for another audit in February.

The village has now regained access to its P.O. Box but said emails and other vital village information had been deleted or is missing.

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The board of trustees voted Jan. 8 to send a certified letter to a “former employee” (presumably Fish) requesting that village information be turned over to the village.

The anonymous source close to the investigation said a GMail account used for business of the village had been deleted and that security codes for accessing online accounts were being sent to the now deleted email address.

The board of trustees hired Erin Friskney Jan. 8 to take over as the village’s treasurer.

— Contact Reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Montgomery’s debit card wrongfully used for AT&T, Consumers bills