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NEWS from the Office of the New York State Comptroller
Contact: Press Office 518-474-4015

Comptroller DiNapoli Releases Municipal Audits

April 1, 2015

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced his office completed audits of the Glens Falls Housing Authority, Town of Groveland, Town of Hammond, Town of Milton and a comprehensive audit of road infrastructure needs in nine towns.

“In today’s fiscal climate, budget transparency and accountability for our local communities is a top priority,” said DiNapoli. “By auditing municipal finances and operations, my office continues to provide taxpayers the assurance that their money is being spent appropriately and effectively.”

Glens Falls Housing Authority – Tenant Rents (Warren County)

Duties for processing tenant rents were not adequately segregated and compensating controls were insufficient. Rent money was not adequately secured and was not always deposited in a timely manner and receipts for rent were not issued to apartment complex tenants.

Town of Groveland – Fiscal Oversight (Livingston County)

The board did not have a contractual agreement with the firm that performed financial services for the town prior to 2013, and contracts for 2013 and 2014 lacked specific details of the services to be provided. The supervisor did not appropriately monitor the firm's work and did not adequately review monthly financial statements and reports before providing them to the board.

Town of Hammond – Town Clerk Operations (St. Lawrence County)

The clerk did not always record, deposit, disburse and report all moneys collected in a timely and accurate manner. The clerk recorded cash received in the accounting system, but did not compare the collections to bank deposits. In addition, the clerk did not retain source documents to support property tax payments received and did not always issue duplicate receipts for tax collections.

Town of Milton – Financial Records and Reports and Sales Tax Revenues (Saratoga County)

The town comptroller has not provided the board with complete and accurate monthly financial reports. Also, the town improperly budgeted and allocated sales tax revenue, resulting in town taxpayers with real property located in the village of Ballston Spa receiving an extra benefit from distributed sales tax revenues at the expense of town taxpayers with property located outside the village.

Towns’ Road Management Plans (2014-MR-2)

Of the nine towns audited, six towns did not have adequate funding in 2014 for keeping their roads free of observable defects, and seven towns lacked the necessary records for auditors to determine if they implemented their plans or for the board to effectively monitor plan implementation.

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For access to state and local government spending and 50,000 state contracts, visit OpenBookNY. The easy-to-use website was created by Comptroller DiNapoli to promote openness in government and provide taxpayers with better access to the financial workings of government.