Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry In the wake of charges filed against Deerfield Township Secretary/Treasurer Brenda Gibson, Township Solicitor Tim Bevevino (left), Supervisor Chairman Ray Hagg, and Supervisor Jim Stec address a crowd during the supervisors’ regular monthly meeting on Wednesday.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry
In the wake of charges filed against Deerfield Township Secretary/Treasurer Brenda Gibson, Township Solicitor Tim Bevevino (left), Supervisor Chairman Ray Hagg, and Supervisor Jim Stec address a crowd during the supervisors’ regular monthly meeting on Wednesday.

“Right now, Deerfield is pretty broken up,” Supervisor Chairman Ray Hagg said at Wednesday’s monthly meeting.

Hagg and Supervisor Jim Stec, with more than 20 people in attendance, discussed the township’s financial position and other issues in the wake of charges being filed against the township’s secretary and treasurer, Brenda L. Gibson.

Gibson was arrested Monday on numerous felony charges. She is accused of stealing about $325,000 from the township, with its population of just over 300, since January 2020 and about $135,000 from Dyke’s Garage, where she handled business accounts and payroll, according to affidavit of probable cause. She was released on $250,000 unsecured bail.

Township Solicitor Tim Bevevino addressed the situation.

“We’ve had an issue with our secretary/treasurer,” Bevevino said. “If you have read the newspaper, you know about as much as we do. It’s subject to an ongoing criminal investigation.”

Because it is an active investigation, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office asked township officials not to go into detail about Gibson and the allegations, he said.

After hearing about suspicious activity at Gibson’s notary business, “We took a look at township records, saw some suspicious activity,” and reported the findings to the attorney general, Bevevino said. “What was reported to us as being available township funds at the last meeting, is nowhere near that.”

According to the affidavit, Gibson presented the August 2021 balance sheet report to the supervisors reflecting a balance of $212,750. The total in all accounts at the end of August, according to a subsequent township review, was $6,544.54.

The good news is that Gibson was bonded. Bonding provides insurance against theft.

“Brenda was bonded and we think more than adequately bonded to cover the alleged losses,” Bevevino said. “The bond has been in place since 2016.”

However, for now, the township doesn’t have much operating cash and supervisors don’t know when dollars from the bond coverage could end up in the township’s coffers.

“That’s going to be a process,” Bevevino said.

Records have been confiscated from Gibson’s notary business. Asked about the township’s records, Hagg reassured those present. “We have in our possession all the known records that Brenda Gibson has made since she has been in office.”

Getting to the bottom of the allegations and the records will require help.

Bevevino asked the supervisors to pass a motion authorizing him to engage a forensic accountant.

When the allegations first arose, there was an “informal review” of the township’s assets, he said. “We need somebody who can drill down.”

That service would also result in recommendations for “internal controls” the supervisors could put in place that would help keep them from having a similar situation come up again, Bevevino said.

The supervisors made and approved that motion.

The third supervisor, Duane Gibson, Brenda Gibson’s husband, was not at the meeting.

Someone in the audience said they heard Supervisor Gibson had resigned.

“One of the township supervisors is not here tonight,” Hagg said. “That was his own decision. He chose not to attend the meeting.”

The other supervisors do not have any control over Supervisor Gibson’s position. “He’s an elected official,” Hagg said.

They did exercise control over Brenda Gibson’s position.

Asked if Secretary/Treasurer Gibson was still employed by the township, Hagg said, “For about five minutes.”

It was less than that. Those in attendance held their questions after that statement and Hagg took action.

“I would make a motion to terminate Brenda L. Gibson as secretary/treasurer of Deerfield Township,” he said.

Stec seconded that motion and it passed without further discussion.

“Brenda Gibson is no longer secretary/treasurer of Deerfield Township,” Hagg said. “There is now an opening.”

He outlined the role of the secretary/treasurer and said one does not have to live in the township to do the job.

The supervisors voted to close out all of their existing accounts with Northwest Bank, then voted to create new accounts through the same bank.

Although real estate tax payments made in September have been opened and should be available to the township soon, Hagg said, the supervisors were not in a good position to spend money during Wednesday’s meeting.

In addition to the alleged losses, and the bottom line published in the affidavit, Brenda Gibson was the township’s bonded financial agent.

“We can’t technically pay a bill, but we have to make a motion, otherwise it will be another month before we can pay it,” Hagg said. “We’re starting to accumulate past-due bills. We would like to pay those bills. Nothing will happen until we have a bond. Our bank account isn’t technically opened yet.”

“One of us has to be bonded,” he said. “I made a motion to pay operating costs, contingent one of us is bonded before the end of the month…”

That motion passed.

Hagg said the township would handle its past-due bills first, then make any expenditures on projects that are of immediate need.

Several residents asked about money they had paid to have portions of roads oiled. Hagg said those residents would be reimbursed when the township could afford to do so.

“We are going down that priority list and you are on that priority list,” he said.

“Where do we go from here?” someone in the audience asked.

“As far as we know, the September taxes have been collected,” Hagg said. “We have to reopen accounts that are secure… before we can open payroll and start having payments made. We have already paid for most of our anti-skid.”

“Within a week or so, we should be back working on the roads,” Stec said. “Everything takes money. We don’t have money.”