Selected reports and information published by New York State's Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli

Selected reports and information published by New York State's Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli

Issued during the week ending April 12, 2013 [Click on text highlighted in bold to access the full report] 

Town of Amsterdam – Supervisor’s Records and Reports (Montgomery County)
The town supervisor does not maintain timely or accurate accounting records for the town. Therefore, the accounting records do not support the AUDs filed in 2010 and 2011. The town board does not receive all the financial information it needs to monitor the town’s financial operations. Additionally, auditors found discrepancies between bank reconciliations and account balances documented in the town’s accounting records.

Village of Cuba – Sewer Fund Financial Condition and Records and Reports (Allegany County)
The village board did not adopt budgets for the sewer fund that provided sufficient revenues to finance expenditures, because revenues were consistently overestimated. Auditors also found that the clerk-treasurer did not maintain the village’s accounting records in a complete and accurate manner. Specifically, cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable were misstated, which resulted in the operating funds’ fiscal health appearing to be more favorable.

Village of Dannemora – Internal Controls Over Cash Receipts (Clinton County)
The village has informal procedures over the collection of cash receipts for water and sewer rents and property taxes.  The clerk-treasurer prepares billings, enters receipts into the accounting system, reconciles customer accounts, prepares bank deposits and reconciles bank statements without any additional verification or assistance.

Village of Delanson – Internal Controls Over Selected Financial Operations (Schenectady County)
The village clerk and treasurer both perform incompatible cash disbursement duties and compensating controls have not been established. The village board does not require claims to be adequately documented or appropriately audit and approve all claims. Also, the clerk did not collect all interest and penalties due on overdue real property tax and water rent payments or properly record and report to the county unpaid water rents for re-levy.

Downtown Ithaca Business Improvement District – Disbursements (Tompkins County)
The Executive Director did not ensure that disbursements were for proper DIBID purposes. Although the claims reviewed by auditors appeared to be for reasonable DIBID expenditures, without proper supporting documentation such as receipts, invoices, or bills attached to the claims, taxpayers do not have any assurance that these monies were used for valid DIBID purposes.

Village of Hoosick Falls – Internal Controls Over Selected Operations (Rensselaer County)
The village board has not adopted policies establishing responsibilities and duties for handling cash and maintaining accounting records. As a result, the treasurer has filed the village’s annual financial report an average of 221 days past the due date from 2008 through 2011. Further, the board has not implemented compensating controls to address the lack of segregation of duties performed by the treasurer.

Village of Nelsonville – Financial Operations (Putnam County)
The village board did not develop policies and procedures for the clerk-treasurer to follow when performing cash receipts and disbursement duties and did not audit the clerk-treasurer’s financial records. Further, the board did not ensure bank reconciliations were performed or that the village payroll was properly certified.

Town of Schroon – Internal Controls Over Transfer Station Operations (Essex County)
The town does not reconcile the amount of money collected with the amount of trash disposed at the transfer station. Auditors found that over a three-month period in 2012, the weight of the solid waste the town paid to dispose of at the county landfill exceeded the amount of trash accounted for as being received at the transfer station, resulting in approximately $10,000 in missing revenues. Auditors also found weak internal controls over cash receipts and poor monitoring of solid waste received at the transfer station.

Village of Victory – Audit Follow Up (Saratoga County)
Auditors found that the village has made limited progress in implementing our recommendations. Of the eight audit recommendations, two recommendations were implemented, four recommendations were partially implemented and two recommendations were not implemented.

Helping Students Get Course Credit: Credit Recovery Programs in School Districts (2012MS-8)
Auditors found that all eight school districts reviewed provided evidence to show, to the State Education Department’s (SED) satisfaction, that Credit Recovery Programs (CRPs) aligned with state learning standards. SED’s current measure of satisfactory alignment, however, is very easy to meet. More explicit expectations for demonstrating alignment with current standards would provide better assurance that online CRPs provide intensive instruction in a subject that is equivalent to teacher-provided classroom instruction.

Fabius-Pompey Central School District – Budget Review (Onondaga County)
Auditors found that the significant revenue and expenditure projections in the proposed budget are reasonable. The school district’s proposed budget currently includes a tax levy that is over the statutory limit by $58,246.

North Colonie Central School District – Claims Processing (Albany County)
The school board adopted claims processing policies which require all claims to be audited prior to payment except for certain allowed exceptions. District policy requires the claims auditor to ensure that all claims are properly authorized, itemized, supported and that goods and services have been received in the amount and price as ordered prior to payment.