KINGWOOD — After two years of trying to recover thousands of dollars it is owed, the Preston County Solid Waste Authority (PCSWA) has been told the check is almost in the mail.
Since 2017 County Commissioner Don Smith, who sits on the authority, has sought to claim the money being held by the State Treasurer’s Office as unclaimed property. The money was from fines and landfill tipping fees.
The treasurer’s office said the check will be for $39,056.46. “I was just so excited we were getting it I forgot to ask,” the treasurer’s office how much the authority will receive, Smith said.
The PCSWA’s annual budget is about $25,000.
“We’re planning to do some things with it,” Smith said of the windfall. “Now I can apply for some grants, since we have some matching money.”
The treasurer’s office confirmed in 2017 the money was being held for Preston County but refused to hand it over because PCSWA couldn’t provide its IRS identification number.
The authority is a volunteer group and over the years different people handled the books. Some former members are deceased, so Smith couldn’t go to them for information.
Recently, Smith received a Form 1099 from the bank and submitted it to the treasurer’s office after the office called him two weeks ago to try again to clear it up. The treasurer agreed to take the 1099 as proof of the ID number.
“She called me back a couple days later and said ‘I think we’re good,’” Smith said Friday of his contact with the office. He was told the check was cut last week.
In an email last week, Gina Joynes, of the communications department of the state treasurer’s office, explained the delay.
She said the State Treasurer’s Office made several outreach attempts to contact the PCSWA dating back to 2013.
The correct information was received Feb. 27, and the payment was approved March 5 and will be processed Monday, Joynes said.
“We are thrilled to finally return this unclaimed money to the Solid Waste Authority,” she said.
During the process, “There were several pieces of incorrect information provided in response to our [initial] requests for documentation, which did not allow us to proceed with payment,” Joynes said. “These issues delayed our process, however our staff worked with the solid waste authority to correct these issues and finalize paperwork.”
Joynes said the treasurer takes returning money to its rightful owners “very seriously.”
“Our office actively seeks out individuals, businesses and other entities who are due unclaimed funds and works to process claims promptly. However, we have strict verification policies in place to combat fraud and potential errors,” she said.
