Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to review the Board’s financial management and evaluate the operations and financial practices of the Clerk’s office for the period January 1, 2016 through May 19, 2017.

Background

The Town of Avoca is located in Steuben County and has a population of about 2,250. The Town is governed by an elected five-member Town Board. Budgeted appropriations for 2017 total approximately $1.3 million.

Key Findings

• The Town has accumulated excessive fund balances in the town-wide and town-outside-village general and highway funds.
• The Town has not used appropriated fund balance as an actual financing source.
• The Clerk did not maintain a cash book to chronologically record all individual receipts on a daily basis and deposit all cash receipts intact or in a timely manner.
• The Clerk did not remit taxes timely.

Key Recommendations

• Adopt a fund balance policy and procedures to govern budgeting practices and the reasonable level of fund balance to be maintained in each fund to meet the Town’s needs.
• Adopt budgets with realistic estimates of revenues, expenditures and the amount of fund balance to be used to fund operations.
• Maintain a daily cash book and chronologically identify individual receipts when this information is not documented by computer.
• Ensure that tax collections are remitted to the Supervisor in accordance with statute.