State Comptroller DiNapoli Releases Municipal & School Audits

January 9, 2025

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced the following local government and school audits were issued.

Main-Transit Fire Department - Credit Cards (Erie County)

Of the credit card purchases totaling $216,961 examined, purchases totaling $70,042 were not adequately supported, and $62,903 in discretionary purchases did not follow any specific guidelines. Although the board approved the credit card bills for payment, it did not ensure the related voucher packets had adequate supporting documentation to confirm the expenses were appropriate. As a result, 273 purchases were missing invoices or receipts. Auditors also found the board did not establish written policies or procedures for discretionary spending, and as a result, 353 purchases may not have been for proper department purposes.

Main-Transit Fire Department - Banquet Hall Disbursements and Collections (Erie County)

The manager made proper and supported disbursements from Jan. 1, 2022 through Sept. 30, 2023. However, the manager's duties were not segregated, and he did not maintain prenumbered contracts, receipts or another suitable record to demonstrate amounts of collections due to the department. The manager booked rentals, collected and deposited rental fees, issued refunds and disbursed funds for rental hall purchases and operating expenses. He also calculated his own compensation and prepared and signed his own compensation checks without a board member or department official confirming the payment was supported and accurate.

Rush-Henrietta Central School District - Credit Cards and Purchase Cards (Monroe County)

District officials did not ensure that credit card and purchase card charges were properly approved and supported. Therefore, they could not be determined whether all charges were for appropriate district purposes. Additionally, officials did not ensure that credit card charges were reconciled in a timely manner and audited. Auditors reviewed 680 credit card and purchase card charges totaling $168,831 and determined that 538 charges totaling $156,982 had one or more exceptions. 410 charges totaling $144,142 were paid prior to audit and approval by the claims auditor. Another 355 charges totaling $104,258 required pre-approval but were not properly approved, and 82 charges totaling $6,199 for the facilities and transportation departments were not independently audited. The claims auditor who reviewed and approved the charges also maintained and administered the purchase cards for these departments. Auditors found 288 charges totaling $64,925 did not have adequate support, including a specific district purpose, a receipt or the required business expense reports.

Town of Covington - Tax Collection Remittance (Wyoming County)

The tax collector did not remit collections to the town supervisor and county treasurer within the timeframes established by state law. As a result, funds were not provided to finance town and county operations in a timely manner. The tax collector did not remit taxes to the town supervisor at least weekly, as required by state law. The tax collector made one payment totaling approximately $800,000 to the county treasurer in April 2024, instead of paying three separate required payments totaling $706,991 in February, $53,702 in March and $36,747 in April. As of Sept. 25, 2024, the tax collector had not yet remitted approximately $1,600 in interest and penalties to the town supervisor, which were collected for late real property tax payments.