Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to determine whether the Board provided adequate oversight of the Treasurer’s financial activities for the period January 1, 2011, to January 31, 2013.

Background

The District is a district corporation of the State, distinct and separate from the Towns of Halfmoon and Waterford, and located in Saratoga County. The Board of Fire Commissioners consists of five elected members and is responsible for the District’s overall financial management. The District’s general fund budget totaled $848,185 for the 2013 fiscal year.

Key Findings

• The Board did not provide adequate oversight of District financial activities. The Treasurer did not provide accounting information to their independent public accountant (accountant) in a timely manner. As a result, the Board did not receive timely audit reports from the accountant. The independent audit report for 2009 was not issued by the accountant until December 23, 2011. Furthermore, due to a lengthy delay in the Treasurer providing a listing of fixed assets to the independent auditor for 2010 and 2011, the District did not receive the audit reports for these two years until March 1, 2013.
• The District did not file the AUD in a timely manner for 2010 and 2011. We found that the 2010 and 2011 AUD were filed 576 and 276 days late, respectively. However, the District filed the 2012 AUD on time.

Key Recommendations

• Ensure that the independent auditor is provided with sufficient documentation in a timely manner to complete the annual independent audit within 180 days after the year end.
• Ensure that the Treasurer prepares and files the required AUD with OSC in a timely manner.