Prince William supervisors on Friday voted unanimously to dissolve the Gainesville District Volunteer Fire Department after a four-month internal audit revealed a number of deficiencies, and caused Fire and Rescue Chief Kevin McGee to say he has “lost confidence” in the department’s leadership. Supervisors deliberated in closed session for more than three hours before county auditor Robin Howard presented his official report to the public. Howard said Gainesville¹s volunteer fire department was uncooperative with the overall audit process, and the efficiency and effectiveness of the department’s internal controls were unsatisfactory. “We did not find any instances of fraud, but had there been fraud there, it would have been extremely [difficult] to detect,” Howard said.
Robert Zelnick, counsel for the volunteer fire department, argued that the county had not allowed sufficient time for department officers to review the audit so they could adequately respond.
