Selected Internet blog posts for the week ending July 10, 2026

How Branded Communications Can Improve Government Billing Learn how consistently branded communications can increase constituent trust, improve engagement and support stronger government billing. DOWNLOAD

Fighting AI with AI: How State and Local Governments Can Stop Fraud This thought leadership paper covers common misconceptions about AI in identity verification and the technology components agencies need to combat to prevent AI-driven fraud. Read more to learn how your agency can enhance its approach to identity verification. DOWNLOAD 

Essential Steps to Building a Strong Grant Compliance Framework From internal controls to reporting and monitoring, this guide explores the key components of a stronger, more sustainable approach to grant compliance. DOWNLOAD

Using Existing Platforms to Meet New Political Priorities With 39 gubernatorial elections set for fall 2026, navigating change is a crucial skill for state CIOs. This paper explores how CIOs can deliver fast and visible wins that align with policy priorities of incoming administrations. DOWNLOAD

Essential Steps to Building a Strong Grant Compliance Framework From internal controls to reporting and monitoring, this guide explores the key components of a stronger, more sustainable approach to grant compliance. DOWNLOAD

The AI-Enhanced Meeting: Improving Access and Driving Better Outcomes   Discover how AI is transforming the way public sector teams meet, collaborate and deliver results. In this paper, you’ll learn how AI-powered tools are helping agencies overcome common challenges in hybrid environments. DOWNLOAD

Dangerous Heat Is Coming To More Parts Of The Country Than Ever. The Federation of American Scientists has compiled a library of remediation strategies and policies. Read More

Deferred Maintenance and Its Impact on Communities This eBook examines the problem of deferred maintenance for America's infrastructure, considers ways to identify deferred maintenance issues early and explores options for addressing them quickly. DOWNLOAD

Fighting AI with AI: How State and Local Governments Can Stop Fraud Uncover common misconceptions about AI in identity verification and the technology components agencies need to combat to prevent AI-driven fraud. DOWNLOAD

Redefining Government Efficiency State and local efficiency initiatives are going beyond cost control. While savings clearly matter, a growing number of these efforts also seek to connect spending to outcomes, increase institutional capacity, and improve the responsiveness and usability of resident services. This report examines how the concept of government efficiency is evolving and offers examples of what these trends look like in practice. DOWNLOAD

Fewer Births Mean Fewer Students. Now is the time for policymakers to take steps to mitigate the impact and better support schools and students. Read More

Making Sense of AI in Public Services A practical guide for public sector leaders choosing between generative AI tools, chatbots, and agentic AI. DOWNLOAD

Audits of New York State local governments and New York public schools posted on the Internet

On July 9, 2026, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced the local government and public school audits listed below were issued and have been posted on the Internet.

Click on the text highlighted in COLOR to access the audit.

Village of Owego – Records and Reports (Tioga County) Village officials did not maintain complete, accurate and timely accounting records and reports. The clerk-treasurer’s accounting records contained errors and omitted transactions, and monthly bank reconciliations were not prepared. Because the clerk-treasurer also did not file the village’s annual financial report on time and the board did not perform an annual audit of the clerk-treasurer’s accounting records, officials did not comply with state laws.

Levittown Union Free School District – Financial Management (Nassau County) The board and district officials did not manage fund balance effectively. They overestimated certain appropriations, underestimated certain revenues and appropriated surplus fund balance and reserves to balance the budget when these funds were not necessary for operations. The board and district officials’ consistent practice of appropriating fund balance that is not needed to finance operations results in real property tax levies that are higher than needed.

Town of Newcomb – Town Supervisor’s Records and Reports (Essex County) The supervisor did not maintain complete and accurate accounting records and reports. As a result, the town board and town officials could not determine or manage the town’s true financial condition. This also impaired the board’s ability to make informed financial decisions and caused taxpayer inequities.

City of Yonkers – Budget Review (Westchester County) Auditors determined that the city’s adopted budget for fiscal year 2026-27 and the related justification documents were in material compliance with the requirements of the fiscal agent act. The city’s 2026-27 adopted budget totals $1.64 billion, which includes operating and debt service funding of $822.5 million for the Yonkers public schools and $813.6 million for the city. The 2026-27 budget is $87.1 million more than the city’s budget for 2025-26, an increase of 5.6%.Auditors noted certain budgetary practices continue to pose risks to the city’s long-term financial condition. Specifically, the budget relies on $147.2 million in nonrecurring funding sources, including appropriated fund balance, one-time state and federal aid and revenues from property sales to finance recurring operating expenditures. Similar concerns have been communicated to city officials in prior years; however, the city continues to rely on these funding practices to balance the city’s budget. As a result, the city may face significant budgetary and cash flow challenges in future years if these resources are unavailable.

Sayville Fire District – Claims Audit (Suffolk County) The board did not properly audit and approve all claims before payment. When the board does not perform a thorough and complete review of claims to ensure that they are supported by adequate invoices or other documentation, the district has an increased risk that it could incur unnecessary costs or pay for goods or services that are not valid district expenditures.

Copiague Union Free School District – Audit Follow-Up (Suffolk County) The purpose of the review was to assess the Copiague Union Free School District’s progress in implementing recommendations in a prior audit, Copiague Union Free School District – Information Technology (2023M-150), released in March 2024. The audit determined that district officials did not properly manage nonstudent network user accounts and financial software access controls. Of the four audit recommendations, the district’s IT director and officials fully implemented three recommendations and partially implemented one. Auditors also reviewed progress in implementing recommendations related to sensitive IT control weaknesses that were reported to officials confidentially and communicated those results confidentially to district officials.

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New York State government digital summit meeting scheduled

This complimentary event is designed for government leaders and technology professionals who are responsible for delivering secure, efficient, and citizen-focused digital services. From cybersecurity and AI to data governance and digital service delivery, sessions are built to spark insight, encourage collaboration, and support real-world implementation. New York Digital Government Summit Date: September 22, 2026 Location: Albany Capital Center

Register to reserve your seat!

For registration assistance, contact: Lee Vang / Government Technology / 916-932-1047 / lvang@govtech.com

Supplemental Military Leave Benefits

The New York State Department of Civil Service posted the following notice on the Internet on July 8, 2026.

Supplemental Military Leave Benefits 

I.D. No. CVS-14-26-00017-A Filing No. 563 Filing Date: 2026-06-23 Effective Date: 2026-07-08 

PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE State Administrative Procedure Act, NOTICE is hereby given of the following action: 

Action taken: Amendment of Sections 21.15 and 28-1.17 of Title 4 NYCRR. 

Statutory authority: Civil Service Law, section 6(1) 

Subject: Supplemental military leave benefits. 

Purpose: To extend the availability of supplemental military leave benefits for certain New York State employees until December 31, 2026. 

The text or summary was published in the April 8, 2026 issue of the Register, I.D. No. CVS-14-26-00017-P. 

Final rule as compared with last published rule: No changes. 

Text of rule and any required statements and analyses may be obtained from: 

Jennifer Paul, NYS Department of Civil Service, Empire State Plaza, Agency Building 1, Albany, NY 12239, (518) 473-6598, email: commops@cs.ny.gov 

Assessment of Public Comment The agency received no public comment. 

Police officer recovers damages for psychological and emotional injuries sustained while on duty pursuant to New York State's "Son of Sam Law"

In February 2020, Respondent entered a New York City police station, drew a gun and opened fire, wounding a police lieutenant. Respondent pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder in the first degree and was sentenced to concurrent prison terms of 23 years to life.

In December 2023, the New York City Comptroller notified the New York State Office of Victim Services [Victim Services] which was acting on behalf of a police officer [PO] who was on duty in the police station during Respondent's attack that Respondent was to receive a settlement of $189,300 in connection with a class action. Victim Services relayed that information to PO and PO told Victim Services of PO's intent to commence a civil action against Respondent to recover damages for psychological and emotional injuries PO sustained as a result of Respondent's crime. 

Victim Services, acting on PO's behalf, then commenced a proceeding pursuant to Executive Law §632-a, commonly known as the Son of Sam Law, seeking a preliminary injunction to preserve the settlement funds. Supreme Court initially granted Victim Services' request for a temporary restraining order freezing those funds until joinder of issue. Following a hearing at which Respondent appeared pro se, Supreme Court determined that PO was not a "crime victim" within the meaning of Executive Law §632-a (1) (d) because PO did not satisfy the definition of "victim" in Executive Law §621 (5), which, as relevant here, encompasses "a person who suffers personal physical injury as a direct result of a crime" (Executive Law §621 [5] [a]) and dismissed Victim Services' petition and vacated the temporary restraining order. Victim Services appealed.

The Appellate Division reversed the Supreme Court's ruling, observing that "Executive Law §632-a sets forth a statutory scheme intended to improve the ability of crime victims to obtain full and just compensation from the person(s) convicted of the crime by allowing crime victims or their representatives to sue the convicted criminals who harmed them when the criminals receive substantial sums of money from virtually any source and protecting those funds while litigation is pending" and a "[c]rime" is, as relevant here, is "any felony defined in the laws of the state" (see Executive Law §632-a [1] [a] [i]), and a "[c]rime victim" is "the victim of a crime" (see Executive Law § 632-a [1] [d] [i]), a phrase that "includes the subject of the felonious conduct".

Explaining that Executive Law §621 "govern[s] the general powers of [Victim Services]" and provides that its definitions apply throughout Executive Law Article 22 — of which Executive Law §632-a is a part", the Appellate Division said that "The issue is therefore whether Executive Law §632-a's definition of 'crime victim' incorporates Executive Law §621's definition of 'victim' or replaces it" The Appellate Division then observed that "It is well settled that, when interpreting a statute, [courts] attempt to effectuate the intent of the Legislature and the starting point for discerning such intent is the language of the statute, citing Matter of New York State Crime Victims Bd. v Gordon, 66 AD3d 1213, and other New York State Court decisions.

The Appellate Division's decision observes that the structure and language of Executive Law § 632-a (1) (d) demonstrate that its reference to "the victim of a crime" does not incorporate the definition of "victim" in Executive Law § 621 (5). Where the Legislature intended to incorporate a definition from Executive Law § 621, it did so by explicit cross-reference. Thus, in addition to "the victim of a crime" (Executive Law § 632-a [1] [d] [i]), a "crime victim" under the Son of Sam Law includes "the representative of a crime victim as defined in [Executive Law §621(6)]" and "a good samaritan as defined in [Executive Law § 621(7)]". The absence of a comparable cross-reference to Executive Law §621 (5)'s definition of "victim" must be regarded as deliberate (see People v Finnegan, 85 NY2d 53, 59 [1995], cert denied 516 US 919 [1995]). It follows that "the victim of a crime" under Executive Law § 632-a (1) (d) (i) is not confined to persons who suffer physical injury (see Executive Law § 621 [5] [a]; cf. Matter of New York State Off. of Victim Servs. v Mobayed, 245 AD3d 1085).  Applying the statute as written, the Appellate Division concluded that PO is a "crime victim" pursuant to Executive Law § 632-a. 

Turning to Victim Services' application for a preliminary injunction freezing Respondent's settlement funds, the Appellate Division opined that Victim Services satisfied each of prongs of the appropriate test: A probability of success on the merits; PO's additional details of Respondent's conduct and PO's resulting losses and injuries; and the risk of irreparable injury without provisional relief is manifest, as dissipation of the settlement funds would bar any recovery by PO and potentially other injured victims of Respondent's crime. 

The Appellate Division then observed that 10% of Respondent's settlement — $18,930 — is statutorily exempt from restraint and considering the policy objectives of the Son of Sam Law, the balance of equities favor Victim Services and remitted the matter to Supreme Court to issue an appropriate preliminary injunction.

Click HERE to access the Appellate Division's decision posted on the Internet.