Plymouth Common Council approves updated Internal Controls Policy, including phase-out of pennies

The Plymouth Common Council approved a resolution last week updating the City of Plymouth's Internal Controls Policy, with changes ranging from cash-handling procedures to a gradual phase-out of penny transactions.

The modifications were presented by Clerk-Treasurer Lynn Gorski and are intended to ensure the city's compliance with Indiana Code 5-11-1-27, which requires political units subject to audit by the Indiana State Board of Accounts to adhere to defined internal control standards promoting governmental accountability and transparency. The policy sets forth procedures for monitoring and evaluating the receipt and disbursement of cash, ACH payments, and credit card usage.

Gorski described the most notable change as the addition of a section phasing out the use of pennies in cash transactions. While all city bills will continue to be calculated and sent to the penny, cash payments will be rounded to the nearest five cents. Gorski was clear that the rounding policy is not intended to benefit or disadvantage customers — shut-off thresholds will remain based on the exact amount owed, and rounding will never be used to reduce or inflate a customer's financial liability.

On the fraud-prevention side, the updated policy now requires that any cash bill in a denomination of $5 or greater be marked with a fraud-prevention marker.

The policy also addresses the use of signature stamps. Going forward, whenever a signature stamp is used on behalf of the Clerk-Treasurer or the Mayor, the individual using the stamp must initial it, creating a clear record of who authorized the signature.

Additionally, the updated policy establishes a new deadline for payroll documentation. Employees who need to submit sick notes for payroll purposes must turn them in to the Payroll Coordinator no later than the first and third Wednesdays of each month.