A civil servant at the Department of Inspection and Standards in the indebted city of Providence, Rhode Island has unearthed a cache of un-cashed cheques. They range in value from $5 to $114,000
It is believed the box containing the 186 cheques had gone unnoticed because staff numbers have been pared back in an effort to cut the state’s deficit, which has been slashed from $110m to $22m over the past few years.
"The office relocated several months ago, and apparently the box was never unpacked," said David Ortiz, the Mayor’s press secretary said. Despite employee numbers shrinking by more than 15 per cent in the last year, the state is expected to run out of cash this summer.
The city will now sift through the cheques and deposit any valid ones with its bank. Cheques over a year old – suggesting the problems roots go deeper than a recent office move – will however have to be reissued.