Jim Kephart
Against Waste - Fraud - Abuse
In Order to Revitalize & Grow our Community

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URA ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE - FUNDS SCAM

The URA has computer records, bookkeepers, etc. and it CAN do complete reporting (and audits).  BUT THEY DON’T DARE. Even just “bits” of their “books” clearly show HUGE WASTE, FRAUD, & ABUSE.  Just one example I found below shows (supposed) 31% “administration” expenses, that are actually mostly FAKE.  They are also WAY more than statewide audit of all URA’s.  THAT shows 5.5% for “admin.”  NOT nearly ONE THIRD.
  

BACKGROUND & DETAILS

ARE THERE ANY URA FINANCIAL RECORDS? 
  

a) Yes. The URA has COMPLETE records on computer…BUT, they do not DARE let the public see them. 
    
b) The first page below is a printout of income and expense “records…just for “fund” #2320…one of MANY “funds” used by URA to avoid accountability.[BTW-I only got this by accident from Dave Palmer’s secretary.]
  
c) In it, just this one “fund” (#2320) shows $1.25M-$1.4M of INCOME.
  
d) It also shows (supposed) “administration expenses of $428K-or almost 1/3 of income.
  
e) On the second page is the state-wide “survey” of all URAs (TIFs). This clearly shows that--statewide--the % for “administration” is 5.5%...NOT ALMOST 1/3.
  
f) The top 3 “admin” items here are: i) $205K/salaries; ii) $198K/” prof. svcs”.; and $25K “construction-in-progress.
  
g) These 3 are PHONY: i)The URA has NO “salaries”-they are 1 of 4-5 TIFS here, ALL getting staff (part time) PAID BY BSB; ii) there are NO “prof’l svcs.”-BSB provides attorney and CPA, and architect fees are in project budgets; iii) “work-in-progress” can go in several accounting categories…but NOT “administration”.
  
GOT ANYTHING MORE? -Yes.
  
a) I went through about 400pages of ONE annual budget for BSB, and another 400 pages of but ONE audit for one year.
  
b) There, I found the URA “financials” scattered all over like debris after a plane crash.
  
c) On the third page below, you see over $90K MORE in (supposed) “salaries---this time for URA “fund” #2310.
  
d) On the fourth page below is a page for URA “fund” #3120. IT (alone) shows “property tax revenues” of $1.4 MILLION for 2018/19.

CAN ANYTHING BE DONE? -Yes.
  
a) SOMEONE must force the URA to do the annual financial reports CLEARLY REQUIRED BY STATE LAW…back to the 2014 start of (new) URA first.
  
b) Then SOMEONE must force a regular audit---to include a “fraud-it”.
  
c) MT has no CFE’s (certified fraud examiners) in ANY “watchdog” agency, not even at the “fraud hotline”/office that is HALF of Legislative Audit Committee’s JOB.
 
d) We MUST enforce current laws AND then “beef up” fraud enforcement tools. 
  
e) MAD-OUR URA TAX $ ARE BEING RIPPED OFF!!

   

Click Links Below to See Proofs
(not viewable using Firefox, right-click to download if not viewable)

ADMIN PROOFS

        

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