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

Comptroller DiNapoli Releases Municipal Audits

January 12, 2016

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced his office completed audits of the Town of Elmira, Village of Hunter, Village of Irvington, Long Island Workforce Housing Act and the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency.

“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.”

Town of Elmira – Financial Condition (Chemung County)

The board has not developed adequate plans to improve the financial condition of the town-wide general fund and the traffic district fund, both of which have fund balance deficits.

Village of Hunter – Cash Receipts and Board Oversight (Greene County)

There were no procedures for the reconciliation and reporting of cash receipts from trash bag sales to residents used to pay for their refuse pickup service or for program fees. The board does not receive interim financial or operating reports, bank statements or bank reconciliations from the treasurer.

Village of Irvington – Selected Financial Activities (Westchester County)

Controls over cellular tower revenues and disbursements were adequate. However, the village did not receive any revenues for one of the cellular carriers during the 2014 calendar year. After auditors completed their fieldwork, the village settled with the carrier and received $13,250.

Long Island Workforce Housing Act (2015MR-4)

Auditors identified some compliance issues, but found most localities generally complied with the act when approving the applications for 25 developments comprising a total of 3,567 units in eight towns and villages. The developers of 21 of these developments set aside a combined total of 1,309 of 3,135 units (42 percent), while one developer of a 24-unit development opted to pay a fee in lieu of designating affordable workforce housing units.

Syracuse Industrial Development Agency – Project Approval and Monitoring and Administration of the Development Fund (Onondaga County)

The board does not appropriately evaluate projects and award financial benefits because it has not established adequate project evaluation criteria. In addition, SIDA officials did not effectively administer the city’s development fund money. SIDA’s audited financial statements show that over $2 million is due to the city from the fund.

For access to state and local government spending and nearly 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.