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

State Comptroller DiNapoli Releases Municipal Audits

April 20, 2017

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced his office completed audits of Village of Endicott, Village of Hempstead, Town of Hoosick, Town of Lake Pleasant, Town of Newfane and the Village of Sandy Creek.

"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."

Village of Endicott – Budget Review (Broome County)

The significant revenue and expenditure projections in the tentative budget for the general, electric and parking funds are reasonable. However, the water and sewer funds' tentative budgets are not balanced and include a deficit of $200,000 in the water fund and $215,863 in the sewer fund. The village took appropriate action to implement recommendations in last year's budget review by adjusting the rate structure in the water and sewer funds.

Village of Hempstead – Budget Review (Nassau County)

Auditors found that the significant revenue and expenditure projections in the proposed budget were reasonable. However, based on the 2017-18 proposed budget, the village will have exhausted 91.2 percent of its taxing authority. The village's ability to rely on real property taxes as an increased revenue source in the future is limited.

Town of Hoosick - Departmental Cash Collections and Sales Tax Allocation (Rensselaer County)

The town operates a community pool and skating rink for seasonal periods. Although skating rink deposits were made timely in 2015 and 2016 and pool deposits were made timely in 2015, pool deposits were not made timely in 2016. Additionally, collection records were not adequate because they did not include the form of payment. As a result, auditors were unable to determine if deposits were made intact.

Town of Lake Pleasant – Credit Cards (Hamilton County)

Town officials did not establish policies and procedures over the use of the town's credit cards. The town had a total of 24 credit cards during the audit period with total credit limits exceeding $101,000. These large credit limits increase the risk of significant invalid purchases being made and going undetected.

Town of Newfane – Supervisor's Financial Records (Niagara County)

The supervisor did not properly maintain accurate and complete financial records. While the secretary provided monthly reports, including the bank reconciliations, the supervisor did not provide those financial reports to the remaining board members. As a result, the board did not receive adequate information to properly monitor the town's financial affairs.

Village of Sandy Creek – Cash Receipts and Disbursements (Oswego County)

The clerk-treasurer performed all the financial duties with limited board oversight. The board did not require an annual audit of the clerk-treasurer's records and reports. The village paid claims totaling $91,247 that did not have proper detail and support.

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.