Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to assess the completeness and accuracy of the Town’s records and reports for the period January 1, 2014 through April 30, 2015.

Background

The Town of Caroga is located in Fulton County and has a population of approximately 1,200. The Town is governed by an elected five-member Town Board. The Town’s 2015 budgeted appropriations total approximately $2.2 million.

Key Findings

• The Supervisor did not provide adequate oversight of the bookkeeper.
• The Supervisor could not provide the Board with sufficient monthly financial reports to allow it to adequately monitor and manage the Town’s financial operations.
• The Supervisor also did not file the required 2013 and 2014 annual financial reports with OSC in a timely manner.
• The Board did not perform annual audits of the Supervisor’s records.

Key Recommendations

• Periodically review the bookkeeper’s work to ensure that all financial activity is accurately and completely accounted for and that monthly bank reconciliations are performed and any discrepancies are promptly investigated and corrected.
• Provide monthly financial reports to the Board that include balance sheet account balances and detailed year-to-date budget-to-actual comparisons of revenues and expenditures for each fund as well as monthly bank reconciliations and bank statements.
• Ensure that the Town’s annual financial report is filed with OSC and the Town Clerk within the required time limits.
• Conduct an annual audit of the Supervisor’s records or engage an independent auditor to conduct the audit.