Issued Date
September 10, 2021
Audit Objective
Determine whether the Board of the Town of Clarence Industrial Development Agency (CIDA) properly approved and monitored projects.
Key Findings
The Board did not properly approve or monitor its projects.
- The Board did not verify job creation goals or other criteria while assessing material aspects of the proposed projects prior to approving them.
- The Board did not properly monitor projects to determine whether project goals were being met.
- Officials did not ensure that project approvals were transparent to the public by posting required documents on CIDA’s website.
- The Board and officials did not ensure that CIDA’s annual report was accurate before submitting it to State oversight agencies.
Key Recommendations
- Approve projects that include measurable goals in project agreements.
- Monitor all active projects to determine whether job creation and/or retention goals are being met.
- Post required information on CIDA’s website.
- Submit accurate reports to State oversight agencies.
Although IDA officials disagreed with certain aspects of our findings, they generally agreed with our recommendations. Appendix C includes OSC’s comments on issues raised in the IDA’s response.