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February 27, 2016

Selected Reports issued by the Office of the State Comptroller during the week ending February 28, 2016


Selected Reports issued by the Office of the State Comptroller during the week ending February 28, 2016
Click on text highlighted in color to access the full report

Former Director of the Putnam County Department of Consumer Affairs enters guilty plea for stealing money she accepted to satisfy county-issued fines
Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the guilty plea of Jean Noel, the former Director of the Putnam County Department of Consumer Affairs, for stealing money from Putnam County. Ms. Noel was arrested after a joint investigation by the State Police, the Office of the New York State Comptroller, and the Attorney General’s Office revealed Ms. Noel’s theft of cash that she accepted from local contractors to satisfy county-issued fines. Ms. Noel entered a guilty plea before the Honorable Joseph J. Spofford, Jr. in Carmel Town Court to the class “A” misdemeanor charge of petit larceny under Penal Law § 155.25. As part of a plea agreement, Ms. Noel agreed to terminate her employment with Putnam County, pay restitution, and was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge.


Former Tupper Lake Volunteer Fire Department Treasurer pleaded guilty to grand larceny
Former Tupper LakeVolunteer Fire Department Treasurer Timothy J. Brown pleaded guilty to grand larceny and agreed to repay the $30,000 he stole for private vacations revealed in an auditand investigation by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.


School District Audits Released

Alexander Central School District - Financial Condition

Cazenovia Central School District - Financial Condition


Silver Creek Central School District – Financial Condition

Wallkill Central School District – Financial Management


Comptroller rejected contracts valued at $2.64 billion and 4,200 payments valued at $2.7 million due to fraud, waste or other improprieties in January
State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced his office approved 1,436 contracts valued at $4.53 billion and approved 1.9 million payments worth $10.2 billion in January. His office also rejected 170 contracts and related transactions valued at $2.64 billion and 4,200 payments valued at $2.7 million due to fraud, waste or other improprieties.


Department of Health (DOH) needs to fix problems and delays with how it is assessing fines to nursing homes after violations are found
The state Department of Health (DOH) needs to fix problems and delays with how it is assessing fines to nursing homes after violations are found, according to an auditreleased by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. While DOH is frequently inspecting nursing homes and acting quickly on serious complaints, auditors found that some facilities had repeated violations that escalated into more serious problems with limited consequences.


State may face increasing budgetary challenges in coming years as revenue growth
is expected to slow
New York state’s fiscal position has improved, but the state may face increasing budgetary challenges in coming years as revenue growth is expected to slow and billions of dollars in settlement money are spent, according to an analysisof the $154.6 billion Executive Budget released by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. This report, prepared each year following the release of the Executive Budget, provides information to assist in the evaluation of the 2016-17 proposal.


Fiscal Stress Monitoring System – Reports concerning selected villages
State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s Fiscal Stress Monitoring System has identified 18 villages in New Yorkin some level of fiscal stress. For 2015, three villages have been classified as in “significant fiscal stress,” four in “moderate fiscal stress,” and 11 as “susceptible to fiscal stress.” Last year, a total of 22 villages were listed in fiscal stress.


Audit finds non-profit provider of supportive housing for
New York City’s Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) overbilled the agency
A non-profit provider of supportive housing for New York City’s Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) overbilled the agency by $1 million according to an auditreleased by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. DOHMH’s weak oversight of the Center for Urban and Community Services made the overpayments possible and raises concerns about potential overpayments to other vendors. 


State Comptroller and the Church of England’s investment fund challenge Exxon’s attempt to silence questions on climate change
Investors, led by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and the Church of England’s investment fund, the Church Commissioners, asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to reject ExxonMobil’s plan to block a shareholder proposal for information on how the company will be impacted by public policies seeking to rein in climate change.

 
State’s January receipts $4.8 billion higher than initially projected
New York state collected $126.6 billion in receipts from April through January, which was $582.3 million higher than the Division of the Budget’s latest projections and $4.8 billion higher than initial projections, according to the monthly state cash report issued by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.


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NYPPL Blogger Harvey Randall served as Principal Attorney, New York State Department of Civil Service; Director of Personnel, SUNY Central Administration; Director of Research, Governor’s Office of Employee Relations; and Staff Judge Advocate General, New York Guard. Consistent with the Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations, the material posted to this blog is presented with the understanding that neither the publisher nor NYPPL and, or, its staff and contributors are providing legal advice to the reader and in the event legal or other expert assistance is needed, the reader is urged to seek such advice from a knowledgeable professional.
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