EAST HARDWICK – Customers of the East Hardwick Fire District No. 1 (EHFD) who had signed up for email notification from the district received a message, Tuesday, Feb. 25, announcing there has been a theft of under $10,000.
The message, signed by trustees of the district, indicates a contracted bookkeeper embezzled the funds, but it “will not materially impact our existing operations, and our users can be confident we will continue to provide them with safe drinking water.’
The most recent balance sheet available on the district website, from September 2023, shows a cash balance of $158,991.39. The embezzled funds are roughly 6% of those assets.
“The board has filed a police report and taken other actions toward recovery of the funds,” says the message. “We are reviewing our financial procedures to ensure against a repeat of this situation in the future.”
Trustees said, “Hardwick police have asked that we not discuss any further details while their investigation is underway; we will provide updates as appropriate.”
The EHFD web site is ehfd.mystrikingly.com/
