HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania Auditor General Timothy DeFoor has released an audit of the Paoli Volunteer Firemen’s Relief Association of Tredyffrin Township that identified three findings involving vehicle transactions and recordkeeping, despite concluding the organization otherwise complied with state laws governing the use of relief association funds.
The compliance audit covered the period from Jan. 1, 2021, through Dec. 31, 2024, and found that the relief association improperly donated two vehicles to the affiliated Paoli Fire Company without documenting the vehicles’ salvage value or obtaining documented approval from its membership. Auditors determined the association later received $9,500 from the fire company after establishing the vehicles’ salvage value.
The audit also found the relief association did not receive its full share of proceeds from the 2021 sale of a jointly owned 1999 Pierce SkyArm vehicle. Under a joint purchase agreement, the association was entitled to 10.19% of the sale proceeds, or $16,294, but initially received only $15,147 because of what officials described as a miscalculation.
As a result of the audit, the association received the remaining $1,147 from the affiliated fire company on Nov. 11, 2025.
A third finding cited the relief association’s failure to maintain a complete and accurate membership roster. Auditors found membership records lacked addresses, dates of birth, dates of membership for some members, and omitted a current officer from the roster.
The Auditor General’s office said incomplete records could result in benefits being paid to nonmembers or eligible members being excluded from receiving authorized benefits.
The report also included an observation that the relief association continued to maintain cash balances exceeding federal deposit insurance limits, an issue previously identified in three earlier audits. As of Dec. 31, 2024, the association held $542,264 at one financial institution, exceeding the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s standard $250,000 insurance threshold.
Despite the findings, auditors concluded the relief association had corrected issues identified in its previous audit, including reimbursing unauthorized and undocumented expenditures cited during the prior review.
According to the report, the relief association received foreign fire insurance tax allocations from Easttown, Tredyffrin and Willistown townships and reported total cash and investments of approximately $4.19 million as of Dec. 31, 2024.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.