The days are over when committees are
set up with volunteers, a treasurer from within that committee is
appointed and monies from outside are paid in, without any oversight.

Whilst the Pirates Week Office accounts
are scrutinized by the government appointed accountants, the District
Committees accounts have not come under this umbrella.

Things have changed.

This is a reason it is becoming more
difficult to fill the post of Treasurer on these volunteer
organisations.

Only last week the Pirates Week Office
issued a statement that there would be no North Side Heritage Day,
usually a staple diet of Pirates Week, this year.

North Side MLA, Ezzard Miller, said he
was only made aware there would be no Heritage Day in his District
when the Pirates Week Office contacted him.

The reason given for the cancellation
of this event was the District Committee was inactive.

No funds had been given to them this
year because last year, the Pirates Week office had only received a
spread sheet with no back-up documentation to support the accounting
shown on the spread sheet for the use of their funds in 2018.

In a letter to the Cayman Compass (see
Compass story
https://www.caymancompass.com/2019/11/05/miller-flags-north-side-pirates-week-committees-spending/)
Miller said, “Given the continuing financial reporting failures of
the Pirates Week Committee in North Side, I would be asking the
Auditor General to look into the use of public funds by the North
Side Pirates Week Committee. I will further be reporting the matter
to the Anti-Corruption Commission for investigation into whether
there has been any misuse of public funds,”

“I am concerned, disappointed and
somewhat embarrassed,” he added.

The issue of improper accounting by The
North Side District Council was noted being an issue since 2016.

I once filled in the role of
Hon.Treasurer for two years at a local church. A job I will never do
again. It took many, many hours and when I occupied that position
there wasn't even the amount of red tape there is now!

The first thing you must have is some organising skills and to be methodical. You should take a course in how to manage routine income and expenditure. Plus, I learned the basics skills in using the computer software programme “QuickBooks”. [If anyone is interested in using this go to: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/ca/ ] {No. I am not getting any commission from QuickBooks.]

Given the announcement from Miller that
he is reporting the past North Side Treasurer's accounting to the
Anti-Corruption Commission for investigation into whether there has
been any misuse of public funds, it is going to make it doubly
difficult to find anyone willing to take on that position, when and
if another North Side heritage Day committee is convened.

Proper accounting is most definitely
essential and better done by someone who has had training in keeping
financial books.