‘Illegally expended’ late fees discovered

State audit shows township could have avoided expenses.

A state audit found Beavercreek Twp. fiscal officer Christy Ahrens failed to pay some bills on time, and trustee Tom Kretz said the state will reveal other discrepancies in a future audit.

Ahrens was named in the state audit report released Thursday for owing money to the township after it incurred late fees for not paying bills in a timely manner from 2016 to 2018.

The township had $2,312 in late fees and interest during that time “to vendors such as Lowe’s, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Spectrum Business, and PNC Bank,” according to the Ohio Auditor’s office.

“These charges could have been avoided had the payments been made in a timely manner,” the release states.

The late fees paid by the town-