Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to assess the Board’s oversight of financial operations for the period January 1, 2012, through February 21, 2013.

Background

The Town of Morris is located in Otsego County and has 1,878 residents. An elected five-member Town Board, comprising the Town Supervisor, and four Council members, govern the Town. The Town’s annual budget for the 2013 fiscal year is $978,616.

Key Finding

• We commend the Board for their efforts to provide oversight of the financial operations of the Town. We believe that the Finance Committee’s monthly review of the records could be improved by comparing the check images to the Board-approved claim vouchers, or to payroll registers, to ensure that the payees and amounts agree. We reviewed 130 disbursements totaling almost $280,000, which included payroll disbursements. We did not find any material discrepancies.

Key Recommendation

• Institute a procedure to ensure that all the checks issued by the Supervisor are for Board-approved expenditures.