NH - Computer crash turns Sandown checks rubber By VALERIE D. HERSHFIELD Union Leader Correspondent SANDOWN — Paychecks for the chief of police and seven other town employees bounced last week, and officials say the problem began three months ago with a computer crash. Selectmen Chairman Frank Landino said bookkeeper Carol Corvi had been religious about backing up the records every week, but a hard drive problem in September prevented the records from being recorded on back-up discs. This meant the town lost its information on all payments to vendors and payroll for town employees and has been estimating its balance — which Landino said fell $3,000 to $4,000 short last week — by using the last balance available since September and comparing it to bank statements, check registers and records of deposits and withdrawals. "A bill comes in and it is initialed by two or three selectmen and then Carol Corvi has been paying bills not knowing the balance," Selectman James Devine said last night. The $381,000 Timberlane Regional School District bill due by the first of this month emptied the town’s accounts to the point that eight of about 50 paychecks bounced. Compounding the problem was that tax bills were sent out late — because the computer glitch delayed the town’s reporting of updated figures to the state Department of Revenue — and are not due until Dec. 26. To make sure the problem doesn’t happen again, the board Monday night asked Treasurer Cheryl Cronin to report an account balance five days after the bank statement comes in. "The treasurer hasn’t been supplying us with balances," Devine said. Cronin said she has been keeping the balance but had not been asked for it.

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-- Doris (nocents@bellsouth.net), December 06, 2000