The Carver Marion Wareham Regional Refuse District is getting closer to hiring a new executive director, but there are still many issues the waste disposal district has to contend with.

The waste disposal district presently has six applicants to fill the executive director position, a position that has been vacant since January when its then-executive director Ray Pickles was fired on charges of embezzling over $800,000. The topic was discussed at the July 31 Marion Selectmen's meeting when the board was given an update by Marion Town Administrator Paul Dawson.

“We've begun the process of looking into audits, “ Dawson said. “The last completed audit for the Carver Marion Wareham Regional Refuse District was 2012. The 2013 audit was ongoing at the time the three town administrators took over looking for information.”

“The most serious issues we found around management issues surrounding minutes of meetings and the proper documentation of things,” Dawson said. “We continue to work on the audit and the scope of the audit and are trying to correct that.”

Dawson said a fairly new board has been appointed to oversee the district. Two of those members are from Marion; former Marion Selectman Steve Cushing and current Selectman Norm Hills. At a meeting in mid July, the board of directors instructed the three town administrators to act as the screening agent for the executive director position. Six applications were received.

The three town administrators now will act as a screening committee to meet with the applicants, discuss qualifications and then make a recommendation to the board, Dawson said.

He added that the finances are coming into focus.

“But we now have a much clearer picture of our revenue sources, which are different today than they were even a couple of years ago because of the way the recycling market has changed,” said Dawson. “There used to be some revenue from that now its an expense. But we do see much clearer source of funds and we can move fund into stabilization accounts.”

In May, the CMW district filed a civil suit in Plymouth Superior Court in an attempt to freeze the assets of the former executive director, as well as a his wife, Diane Bondi-Pickles, and a former membr of the board who the district alleges all received money from “sources that may not have been entirely proper.”

A Plymouth Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order freezing those assets.

“From January to the first quarter of the calendar year. It was very difficult to wrap our arms around the true financial picture because in many cases were paying invoices from a long time ago,” Dawson said.

“I guess I'm saying we need a strong board chairman to make this work. I'm not saying Steve's not it, but we need someone to challenge what's happening," Selectman John Waterman said. “There needs to be someone on the other side who needs to ask questions, not just go along with it.”

Dawson noted that Cushing has only been chairman since January. Waterman suggested there should be one or two members on the district board with a financial background.

“It's a separate body but we can certainly make recommendations,” Dawson said.