Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to review the Town’s financial condition for the period January 1, 2011, to February 22, 2013.

Background

The Town of Hamden is located in Delaware County. The Town Board which comprises five elected members – the Town Supervisor and four Board members – governs the Town. The Town’s 2013 annual budget is $1.2 million.

Key Findings

• The Board has not properly monitored budgets and managed fund balance in the general fund. The Board has consistently relied on fund balance to fund operations, which has depleted Town resources. Although fund balance has rebounded some in 2012, there has been a steady decline of 69 percent in reported unassigned fund balance since 2008.
• The Board did not approve budget amendments for the 2012 budget until January 2013, one month after the budget lapsed.

Key Recommendations

• Evaluate recurring revenue sources for budgetary purposes over which there is direct control (such as real property taxes) to fund appropriation increases and reduce reliance on fund balance.
• Monitor the budget-to-actual results throughout the year and amend the budget prior to exceeding appropriations.