East Bloomfield-Holcomb Fire Department – Financial Operations (2017M-160)

Issued Date
November 17, 2017

Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to determine whether the Board provided adequate oversight of the Department’s financial operations to ensure that assets were safeguarded for the period January 1, 2015 through April 12, 2017.

Background

The East Bloomfield-Holcomb Fire Department provides fire protection services for the East Bloomfield Fire District, which covers the Town of East Bloomfield and certain areas of the Town of Canandaigua in Ontario County. The Department is governed by a five-member Board of Directors. Combined total revenues and expenses for 2015 and 2016 were approximately $121,000 and $57,000, respectively.

Key Findings

  • The Department’s bylaws do not adequately segregate financial duties and instead assign them all to the Treasurer.
  • The Board does not conduct an annual audit of the Department’s records.
  • The Treasurer did not provide monthly bank statements or reconciliations to the Board.
  • The Treasurer did not provide the Board with budget-to-actual comparisons for revenues and expenses or profit and loss statements.

Key Recommendations

  • Consider comprehensively reviewing the Department’s bylaws and making amendments to financial operation provisions as necessary.
  • Conduct an annual audit of the Department’s accounting records, as required by the Department’s bylaws.
  • Prepare monthly bank reconciliations for all bank accounts and provide them to the Board along with the bank statements for review.
  • Provide monthly profit and loss reports and budget-to-actual reports to the Board.