Great Bend Post

GREAT BEND — More than a year ago, the Barton County Treasurer’s Office received new software to conduct  transactions. The new system caused frustration and headaches within the department concerning the 2013 audit and delays in the 2015 budget.

“Apparently, the software has struck again,” County Treasurer Kevin Wondra explained to Barton County commissioners Monday.

Wondra’s department found $1.9 million in taxes that should have been distributed in June.

Wondra told the commission his staff must have entered the wrong end dates for the distribution.

“We had four people there, and I can’t imagine how we didn’t go to the correct ending date,” he said.

Wondra also said he has 50-plus checks written out in his office ready to be mailed but had not been sent out as of Monday morning.

Barton County Commissioner Jennifer Schartz recognized the biggest hardship has fallen on the townships and school districts that have been waiting on tax distributions to figure their budgets.

“My job is to distribute the funds we have in there,” Wondra told Schartz. “It didn’t get taken care of and I didn’t go and check the general ledger and make sure it was correct because I don’t have a feel for what the history is or what should be left in there, and I’m not that familiar with the software to know that all these reports are out there.”

Wondra said he and his staff are now aware of a report that will provide a system of checks and balances.

Wondra also said his office has yet to mail out over 30,000 tax statements that county taxpayers need to have paid by the Dec. 20.