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YMCA money missing By Jonel Aleccia An investigation into possible employee embezzlement at the Rogue Valley Family YMCA has revealed $6,000 to $7,000 may be missing, but agency officials don�t plan to pursue the matter further. Mike Cronin, executive director of the Medford YMCA, said Wednesday that a review of a year�s worth of receipts and computer records showed that someone likely was pocketing cash payments. "We discovered in March or April that somebody could have been manipulating the computer system," Cronin said. "Based on the information we have, it�s $6,000 or $7,000. It looks like that kind of money could have been taken." But Cronin said neither he nor the YMCA board of directors planned to investigate further to identify or prosecute potential thieves. "We�ve talked about it, but we asked ourselves in our conversations, is it really worth the extra expense and the time to go back and look at that?" he said. "In a $2 million operation, it�s not a material amount." Members of the YMCA board of directors include Medford Police Chief Eric Mellgren, County Administrator Sue Slack and Jackson County Judge Ross Davis, among others. Mellgren said he believed the agency should not launch a criminal investigation into the matter. "I frankly can�t imagine that we could make a case based on what I�ve heard," he said. "We�re not going to chase gossip." That means that whoever took the missing money could get away with the equivalent of nearly 20 full-time, year-round memberships at the YMCA. The agency depends on fees, grants and private gifts to operate. With a $1.8 million annual budget and 4,500 community members, the Medford YMCA employs about 120 staff, Cronin said. Of those employees, a core group of about 25 workers would have had access to the computer programs in question. Cronin said he had no specific suspects among current or former employees. "Anybody who is really computer savvy could have done it," he said. Medford Police Lt. Tim George, head of the criminal investigation unit, said he has discussed the possible employee embezzlement with YMCA officials. "They haven�t made a report, they haven�t initiated a criminal case," George said. "I�ve offered my services." An audit of YMCA records recently completed by the Medford firm Moss Adams recommended areas where safeguards could be increased, Cronin said. "They basically validated that we had some cash-control issues," he said. Suggested remedies are now in place, said Cronin. "As far as we�re concerned, we�ve tightened up our system and we�ve gotten on with business," he said. But that doesn�t mean the issue is settled. The United Way of Jackson County allocates some $45,000 a year to the YMCA for child care services. Executive Director Dee Anne Everson said her board has demanded a copy of the audit and an explanation from officials. The resulting discussion, set for later this month, could affect future funding. "I think they had such loose cash controls they don�t know what they�ve lost or not," she said. "We want to ask what all the stories are about and what steps they�ve taken to make sure this doesn�t happen again." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA