Towamensing Fire Company President Eric George said steps are being taken to remedy the issues made apparent from the 2014 audit of the department.

In particular, the audit from Kirk & Summa, ordered by the board of supervisors, had stated that the fire company’s accounting practices contained “material weaknesses.”Of special note was the fact that the department did not keep tapes in the cash registers during bingo games.George said the auditors have been helping to alleviate the potential for future discrepancies.“We’re taking the auditor findings under advisement, and we are starting to implement them,” George said at Thursday’s board of supervisor’s meeting.This includes more careful tracking of funding, along with some new equipment to help with that goal.A letter from George to the board of supervisors, which was read at the April meeting, detailed some of the proposed strategies.“Our treasurer will start profit/loss statements, and reconcile bank statements on a monthly basis. The board will work to lay out a yearly budget. We are looking into assessing the cash register issues and updating or replacing the unit, when we have more information,” George’s letter read.As noted in the same letter, the company decided to look into purchasing a laptop, along with accounting software, in order to keep track of funding more effectively.“We have acquired a new computer now, as well as Quickbooks. The firm is currently training us in it,” George said Thursday.Fire company officials have also said they are assessing the profitability of bingo.The township supervisors had asked for a new chief and for more transparency from the department. In July, Jeremy Haydt was sworn in as the fire chief.In the most recent audit, covering Jan. 1, 2009, to Dec. 31, 2011, and completed in October 2013, the auditor general’s office found that the relief association’s accounting practices were in compliance with state law.The audit observed, however, that the department did not use checks that require two signatures, which would provide tighter control over its expenses.As a result of questions about finances, the township ordered the audit from Kirk & Summa, which showed deficiencies in bookkeeping practices.