April 26, 2015

Selected reports and information published by New York State's Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli during the week ending April 25, 2015



Selected reports and information published by New York State's Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli during the week ending April 25, 2015
Click on text highlighted in color to access the full report


New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced office released audits of State Department and Agencies have been issued:

Department of Motor Vehicles

Department of Transportation

and the

Workers’ Compensation Board
Posted on the Internet at: http://www.osc.state.ny.us/audits/allaudits/093015/14s43.pdf

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli  announced his office completed audits of the

Town of Champion Great Bend Fire District – Controls Over Financial Operations (Jefferson County)
The district has not submitted the required annual financial reports to the Office of State Comptroller for the 2011 through 2013 fiscal years. The district did not submit its tax levy limit calculations for 2015 or the three prior years. Auditors calculated the levy limit for 2015 and found the district’s proposed 2015 tax levy exceeded the statutory limit by $4,394 and the board did not pass a resolution to override the limit.

Chenango County – Departmental Cash Receipts (2015M-21)
County officials have ensured cash receipts are properly collected, recorded and deposited. Department officials have implemented effective controls including issuing duplicate receipts, segregating key financial duties, performing monthly reconciliations and cross-checking their records with the monthly treasurer’s report.

Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District – Internal Controls Over Selected Financial Operations (2014M-171)

The board was not provided with the necessary financial reports and information to properly oversee operating and grant activities or to develop realistic or structurally balanced budgets. As a result, the district borrowed $669,000 from grant funds to help pay operating costs.

Village of Woodsburgh – Claims Processing and Information Technology (Nassau County)
The board did not perform an effective claims audit to ensure transactions were properly authorized and approved or claims were for proper village purposes. The board also did not adopt a comprehensive IT policy or establish procedures addressing crucial aspects of IT security.


New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced his office completed audits of the

Campbell-Savona Central School District – Budget Review (Steuben County)
The significant revenue and expenditure projections in the tentative budget are reasonable. The district consistently appropriates fund balance that is not needed to fund operations. Two of the district’s reserves totaling $1.14 million appear to be overfunded. The district’s tentative budget complies with the property tax levy limit.

Cortland City School District – Budget Review (Cortland County)
The district has overestimated appropriations for payroll, health insurance, retirement, debt and utilities by $3.2 million. After the district’s planned use of $500,000 in fund balance, the remaining unassigned fund balance is only $200,000, or 0.4 percent, of the ensuing year’s appropriations. The district’s preliminary budget complies with the tax levy limit.

Fort Edward Union Free School District – Financial Condition (Washington County)
Although the board adopted reasonable budgets that included realistic estimates based on historical or known trends, the district relied on the appropriation of fund balance to finance recurring expenditures and, as a result, the budgets were not structurally balanced. As of June 30, 2014, the district reported an unrestricted fund balance that totaled $35,463, or .33 percent, of the ensuing year’s budgeted appropriations. District officials have developed a multiyear financial plan to address current and long-term financial trends.
 
Glens Falls Common School District – Financial Condition (Warren County)
The board did not adopt structurally balanced budgets that funded recurring expenditures with recurring revenues for the general fund for 2012-13, 2013-14 or 2014-15 fiscal years. Furthermore, the district’s general fund operating cash balance decreased by approximately $370,000 in one year. As a result, the district had to issue a tax anticipation note to meet cash flow needs during the 2014-15 fiscal year.

West Seneca Central School District – Financial Condition (Erie County)
The district had no operating cash on hand and very little fund balance at the end of 2013-14 fiscal year. The district incurred significant operating deficits in fiscal years 2010-11 through 2012-13. In addition, the district issues short-term debt to provide temporary cash flow and has improperly used a total of $7.5 million in reserve fund cash to help with cash flow in fiscal years 2012-13 and 2013-14.



Audit finds an additional $150,000 was stolen by an official of the Town of Beekman

Former Beekman Comptroller Frederick D. Knapp Jr. pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the second degree last Friday in Dutchess County Court after an audit and investigation by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli uncovered a second theft of $150,000 in town funds, following an earlier admission by Knapp of stealing $390,000 while in office.


Fiscal Stress Scores for 17 cities released 
State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued fiscal stress scores  for the 17 cities in New York that have fiscal years ending between March 31 and July 31.

To search for a specific local government’s fiscal stress scores, visit:
http://wwe1.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/fiscalmonitoring/fsms.cfm
 
For an overview of Comptroller DiNapoli’s Fiscal Monitoring System, visit:
http://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/fiscalmonitoring/index.htm


Audits find more than $500 Million in Medicare waste

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s audits identified a total of $513 million in improper Medicaid payments and untapped revenue opportunities over a four-year period, according to a report released Wednesday. Auditors identified another $361 million in questionable transactions that will require further review and actions to prevent overpayments or recover costs.