New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced his office completed audits of the City of Albany Industrial Development Agency, Village of Kaser, Village of Lisle and the Village of Owego.

"In today's fiscal climate, budget transparency and accountability for our local communities is a top priority," said DiNapoli. "By auditing municipal finances and operations, my office continues to provide taxpayers the assurance that their money is being spent appropriately and effectively."

City of Albany Industrial Development Agency – Project Approval and Monitoring (Albany County)

The IDA did not have an adequate or consistent system to incorporate goals into project agreements even though the projects were approved based on specific characteristics. Also, the IDA did not monitor project performance for investment or revitalization goals.

Village of Kaser – Refuse User Fees and Records (Rockland County)

The village charged residents $400,356 for refuse collection which exceeded the outsourced contracted cost of $215,352 for collection without adequate substantiation for the excess charges. Revenues and expenditures for refuse collection are improperly comingled with general fund revenues and expenditures.

Village of Lisle – Board Oversight (Broome County)

The clerk-treasurer performs most aspects of the cash receipts and disbursements processes without adequate oversight. Having incompatible duties allowed the clerk-treasurer to disburse payroll payments without another official's review to ensure the payments were accurate and appropriate.

Village of Owego – Board Oversight and Financial Operations (Tioga County)

Although the board reviewed claims and received a monthly report from the clerk-treasurer, these reports were inaccurate. The board requested more accurate and complete information, but the clerk-treasurer failed to do so, and also failed to provide the board with accurate budget-to-actual reports and complete financial reports each month. Because of this ineffective recordkeeping, the certified public accounting firm was unable to complete its audits for the last two years.

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