CASCO – However, selectmen and residents continue to argue over

Town Manager David Morton’s handling of the general assistance

program, and the residents who initiated the complaint are

unsatisfied with the state’s review.

CASCO – The Maine Department of Health and Human Services has found that Casco’s general assistance program is in compliance with state law, ending a review prompted by allegations from several residents, including a selectman.

However, selectmen and residents continue to argue over Town Manager David Morton’s handling of the general assistance program, and the residents who initiated the complaint are unsatisfied with the state’s review.

This summer, new Finance Committee members Jeannine Oren and Jenn Murray, as well as Selectman Carroll Morton, sought an investigation into the town’s repeated failure to request reimbursement for money the town had dispersed in general assistance funds. Morton sent a letter to the Maine Attorney General’s Office, which then forwarded the request for a probe to the health and human services department, which oversees general assistance.

According to state law, towns are required to file reimbursement requests each month to recoup the money they are required to disburse to financially struggling residents. Municipalities are reimbursed between 50 and 90 percent depending on what kind of aid it delivers to those struggling residents. On average, the state usually reimburses 62 to 68 percent of what a town spends of welfare, according to DHHS spokesman John Martins. While encouraged to apply monthly for reimbursement, a town has 90 days to file. Financial penalties can arise for towns that fail to apply within 90 days, reducing what a town would have otherwise recouped.

On two separate occasions in the past three years, the town of Casco violated the 90-day reporting period. Martins said the town failed to report general assistance figures for nine straight months at one point and 12 straight months in another instance.

Oren, Murray and Carroll Morton claim Casco Town Manager David Morton was lax in his reporting duties and, though the town avoided financial penalties, Oren said Casco almost lost out on $83,000 in unreported disbursements, a claim David Morton says “isn’t true.”

“Casco taxpayers are the individuals suffering the penalties, and the price we’re paying is huge,” Oren said. “Jenn Murray and myself are directly responsible for returning more than $83,000 to our local budget within the last 12 months. If we hadn’t stepped in that money would have been lost.”

While Oren and Murray’s charges against the town manager are numerous and have been making waves for about a year in local Casco politics, their main contention is that Morton failed to keep detailed records of how much and to whom the town of Casco distributed general assistance, which, they say, is the reason he couldn’t submit the reimbursement request. David Morton says that is not the case and that he always intended to file for reimbursements.

While the town manager admits to making minor mistakes with the town’s financial record keeping, confirmed by Martins who said figures were incorrectly logged on the town’s application for reimbursement, he denies any intentional wrongdoing. When asked to comment further on the matter, Morton said he wanted to limit his comment because he didn’t want to inflame the dispute that has been dragging on since January.

“Their accusations don’t deserve a response,” Morton said. “The information from the state says it very clearly. Case is closed. Casco is in compliance.”

Morton is referring to a November e-mail Martins sent to the Lakes Region Weekly in response to numerous questions regarding Casco’s untimely reporting for general assistance. In it, Martins answered a series of questions regarding the general assistance disbursements in Casco and summarized the state’s investigative findings.

“This case is closed,” Martins wrote. “Our staff has concluded its review and at this point in time, the town of Casco is in compliance.”

Casco resident Ted Ropple, a columnist for the Lakes Region Weekly, defended the town manager, saying the declaration that Casco is in compliance “is yet more proof positive that the accusations and dispersions that are being cast upon the Casco town manager are unfounded.”

Ropple went on to say, “This was a bookkeeping mistake, there was no malicious intent. These are just regular people trying to do a job. And let me tell you, if I found any evidence of impropriety, I’d be the first one throwing it on the front page.”

While some in town are satisfied with the state’s findings, the three who requested the probe are disappointed with the state’s efforts at probing the matter.

“I’m disappointed,” said Carroll Morton. “They didn’t seem to really give a darn.”

Selectman Ray Grant, the only other Casco selectman who responded to a request for comment on the matter, said he doesn’t “understand why the state gave us back that money when the law says you have to have a just cause for filing late. In all the letters I’ve read about this, there is no explanation why it was late so I really don’t see how we got the money back. To this date, I also haven’t seen any explanation by the town manager either to the state or to the town of Casco why the (reimbursement application) was filed late.”

Oren and Murray are also not convinced with the state’s handling of the issue. Because Casco was reimbursed 50 percent of what they submitted for general assistance – and not the 62 to 68 percent average or more – they say the town manager’s delay in reporting has already cost Casco taxpayers thousands of dollars. And, they go further to claim the Department of Health and Human Services wouldn’t find Morton at fault because the department, as the overseeing body, missed the financial irregularities in the first place. Oren said she and Murray informed the state of the record-keeping mistakes after poring over Casco documents.

“These are tough economic times,” Oren said. “We can’t afford to walk away from money. If the town of Casco doesn’t submit for reimbursement for its local welfare costs, then Casco taxpayers are essentially paying local welfare costs twice – once at the state level and once at the local level. I don’t think people understand the math. It’s fiscally dangerous to violate these important laws, and the people who allowed it to happen should be held responsible.”

Oren and Murray say they intend to raise the matter with Gov. Paul LePage’s administration, saying town and state officials should be held responsible when they don’t submit timely or accurate requests for reimbursement.

“Publicly identify these municipalities,” Oren said regarding those towns that fail to submit reimbursement requests. “That will be the first step toward fixing the system. For a state official to withhold such critical fiscal information from local taxpayers is a sin of omission.”