$115,000 in utility checks left uncashed in Goochland

-- Goochland County is without a director for its public utilities department after the discovery of more than $115,000 worth of checks for connection fees that never were deposited.

While county officials declined to comment, Doug Harvey's departure coincides with an audit report that revealed that checks for utility-connection fees had not been deposited in the past two years. The audit was for a two-year period only.

Supervisor Malvern R. "Rudy" Butler said the uncashed checks were discovered in the utilities office.

County Administrator Gregory K. Wolfrey did not return a phone call, but Assistant County Administrator H. Greg Reid confirmed that Harvey's employment with the county ended as of Dec. 22.

It was not clear whether Harvey resigned or was fired.

Reid said Harvey's departure is a personnel matter "and something we're not going to comment on."

Harvey, reached by telephone at his home, also declined to comment.

The county hired Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates in November to look into the utility department's handling of fees in fiscal 2007 and 2008.

Commonwealth's Attorney Claiborne Stokes is looking into the matter, but Butler said he doubts there will be any charges because the audit didn't find fraudulent activity.

"I don't think it's a criminal thing," he said. "It was mismanagement. The money was all there."

Harvey, a former county engineer, did a lot of good for the county through the years, Butler said.

Butler called the problem a "breakdown in the system all the way around" that audits and administrators should have discovered long ago. "I think it should have been caught," he said.

In response to a request by The Goochland Gazette, however, the county released e-mails and memos that show repeated efforts to bring utility-department accounts up-to-date dating to 2004.

The utility department has been placed under Don Charles, director of community development, "until we get everything straight," Butler said.

The finance department has taken over responsibility for mailing bills and taking payments. Contact Jamie C. Ruff at (434) 223-3678 or .

Amy Condra and Ken Odor of The Goochland Gazette contributed to this report.