Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to review the Town’s financial condition for the period January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2012.

Background

The Town of Dayton is located in Cattaraugus County and has a population of approximately 1,900 residents. The Town is governed by an elected five-member Town Board comprised of the Town Supervisor and four council members. Budgeted appropriations for the Town’s four major funds for the 2012 fiscal year totaled approximately $615,000.

Key Finding

• The Board does not routinely monitor financial operations, adopt reasonable budgets or take appropriate action to maintain financial stability. As a result, the highway town-wide fund has a deficit and the general and highway town-outside-village funds have unexpended surplus funds that are excessive.

Key Recommendations

• Correct the accounting records to properly reflect the amount the highway town-wide fund owes the highway town-outside-village fund and the Board should develop a plan to repay these funds and address the deficit.
• Use the surplus fund balance in the general and highway town-outside-village funds in a manner that benefits Town taxpayers, such as reducing property taxes, or for other statutorily authorized purposes.