Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to review the Village’s water accountability, claims audit process and IT policies and procedures for the period June 1, 2015 through February 7, 2017.

Background

The Village of Oxford is located in the Town of Oxford in Chenango County and has a population of approximately 1,400. The Village is governed by an elected five-member Board of Trustees. Budgeted appropriations for the 2016-17 fiscal year totaled approximately $1.7 million.

Key Findings

• The Village could not account for approximately 65.7 million gallons of water or approximately 71 percent of the water pumped in fiscal year 2015-16.
• The Board did not perform an effective claims audit to ensure that transactions were properly authorized and approved or that claims were for proper Village purposes.
• The Board did not establish policies and procedures regarding breach notifications and disaster recovery plans.

Key Recommendations

• Determine the reason(s) for the significant unaccounted-for water and develop a plan to address the cause(s).
• The entire Board should conduct a thorough and deliberate audit of all Village claims or establish the Office of the Claims Auditor and appoint an individual who is not involved with the disbursements process.
• Create and adopt policies and procedures related to breach notification and disaster recovery