ALBANY - State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office completed the audits of the Bethany Volunteer Fire Company, Big Flats Volunteer Fire Company, City of Glen Cove, Village of Waverly and Village of Webster.  Also released, an audit of Global Concepts Charter School.

Bethany Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. – Internal Controls Over Financial Operations (Genesee County) The fire company board has adopted a code of ethics and audits claims before they are paid on a monthly basis. However, the board has failed to establish a system of internal controls consisting of policies and procedures that ensure transactions are properly authorized and recorded. The board failed to audit the company treasurer’s records for the fiscal years 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Big Flats Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. – Internal Controls Over Financial Operations (Tioga County) Although the company treasurer appears to maintain appropriate financial records, company officers, directors and membership did not provide adequate oversight of financial activities. Members do not audit bills prior to approval for payment or review reconciled bank statements to determine that reported cash was accurate. Also, company directors did not audit the treasurer’s records, as required.

City of Glen Cove – Budget Review (Nassau County) The 2013 proposed budget contains significant financial risks that the City Council should consider when adopting the 2013 budget. The city has been authorized by the State Legislature to finance several major operating expenditures, totaling as much as $6.8 million, with proceeds from long-term debt.  The city is budgeting over $600,000 from new sources of revenue that may not be realized.

Village of Waverly – Justice Court Operations (Broome County) Village justices did not ensure that court moneys were properly accounted for. Auditors found errors and irregularities occurred along the entire process from adjudicating tickets to their recording, collection, and reporting. Of the120 transactions reviewed, auditors found 50 instances where money was not accounted for and may have been stolen.

Village of Webster – Board Oversight and Selected Financial Activities (Monroe County) The village board does not provide sufficient oversight of the village’s financial operations. The village made 22 payments for unused leave time totaling $37,352 that were unauthorized and/or not properly approved.
Village officials have begun to implement various improvements to address weaknesses identified during the audit and preliminary risk assessment.

The following charter school audit was also released:

Global Concepts Charter School – High School Building Lease (Erie County) Auditors found the charter school board did not demonstrate that it used an appropriate process to ensure it obtained a suitable site for a school building at a reasonable cost. School officials did not provide evidence that the board performed an appropriate cost analysis of the selected site or alternative sites. As a result, we estimate that the school will pay
$2.3 million more than necessary over the next five years for this school building.