Bump Cites 'Unallowed' Severance Package in BCAC Audit
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — State Auditor Suzanne Bump says the Berkshire Community Action Council gave its former executive director a severance package despite lacking a policy to do so.
Bump released an audit on the organization saying BCAC charged the state $24,533 for an "unallowable severance package." The organization lacked a formal policy for that type of compensation and there were no provisions in the employee's contract for it.
Bump is now asking the state to recover those expenses from the organization.
BCAC's Board of Directors asked former Executive Director Donald Atwater to retire in the fall of 2011, offering him the severance package.
The audit also claims that BCAC did not follow state procurement policies when leasing 10 used vehicles for its transportation programs. The agency may not have gotten the best price for the leases at the time when the transportation program was running a deficit, Bump claims.
BCAC has undergone a leadership change and initiated cost-reductions, the audit shows. The organization is looking to reduce costs by $400,000 through discontinuing programs and reducing staff.
BCAC is a nonprofit organization providing services for low-income individuals in 32 cities and towns. They are also a subcontractor for the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority.
A call to interim Director Deborah Leonczyk and email to board Chairman Mark Lincourt have not been returned.
