TMCnet News
CVHS won't appeal bingo license revocation: Gaming commission has offered group the option to reapply for license in January [Foster's Daily Democrat, Dover, N.H.](Foster's Daily Democrat (Dover, NH) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 31--DOVER -- The board of directors at Cocheco Valley Humane Society has decided it will not appeal the revocation of the organization's bingo gaming license. The license was revoked for one year in September after an audit by the New Hampshire Racing and Charitable Gaming Commission. At the same time, a license for Lucky 7 ticket sales was also taken away. State auditors found deficiencies in internal controls, noncompliance with state regulations and an absence of management oversight during the course of their lengthy audit, which took between 1,500 and 1,600 hours. Executive Director Leslie Heindl said in a statement released Wednesday the decision to forego the appeals process was made for a number of reasons. A primary reason for the decision was that the commission has offered CVHS the option to reapply for a license in January. "Considering the time that would be necessary to complete the appeal process, including a rehearing, it is unlikely that an appeal would even be granted by the January reapplication date," Heindl said. In addition, the appeal process would result in the expenditure of significant monetary resources that would otherwise be allocated to ongoing operations and fulfilling CVHS's mission, Heindl said. Given that the majority of the commission's concerns were regarding deficiencies within record-keeping, CVHS will take the time to correct inaccurate reports and improve reporting procedures before reapplying for the license, Heindl said. Heindl offered insight into the reason behind the audit failure. She said the recession significantly impacted the humane society, forcing them to reduce overhead expenses and increase their volunteer base. "In order to allocate the most resources possible to the care of the animals, CVHS has operated with a very limited administrative staff. In hindsight, this focus took away resources and attention necessary to provide accurate and complete reports to the commission," Heindl said. At the conclusion on her statement, Heindl expressed a positive outlook for the future of the organization. "CVHS has benefited from a supportive community with some very loyal donors and adopters. Over the last couple of years, the organization has developed its infrastructure and is operating more effectively and efficiently than ever before," Heindl said. "The future is bright for CVHS with plans for a new facility in the near future. None of this would be possible without the support of our community and we thank everyone for their continued commitment to our mission." CVHS is running a Bring Us Home campaign to raise money for the new facility, which is to be located next to Strafford County Superior Court. Renderings of the new building can be found on its website at www.cvhsonline.org. ___ (c)2014 the Foster's Daily Democrat (Dover, N.H.) Visit the Foster's Daily Democrat (Dover, N.H.) at www.fosters.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |