New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued the following statement today following the Governor signing legislation which statutorily restores the Office of the State Comptroller’s review of certain state contracts which had previously been removed. The legislation (A.7925-A/S.6809-A) was sponsored by State Sen. Elijah Reichlin-Melnick and Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski.

In November, the Office of New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli approved 1,514 contracts for state agencies and public authorities valued at $1.8 billion and approved nearly 2 million payments worth more than $11.1 billion. The office rejected 135 contracts and related transactions valued at $286 million and nearly 1,600 payments valued at nearly $19.5 million, primarily for mistakes, insufficient support for charges and improper payments. More information on these contracts and payments is available at Open Book New York.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced the following school district audits have been issued.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released the following statement today regarding the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) adoption of its 2023 budget:

State and local public authorities reported debt outstanding totaling more than $329 billion in their most recently reported fiscal years, an increase of 23% ($61.5 billion) since 2017, according to a report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli is urging New Yorkers to make sure they spend any gift cards they received this holiday season. Unused gift card balances can eventually be turned over to his Office of Unclaimed Funds (OUF), which took in a record $48 million from them in 2022.

New York City’s fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget is projected to rise to $109.4 billion (adjusted from $104 billion after surplus transfers), reflecting continued improvement in the city’s fiscal position since June, but city finances could come under pressure amid a slowing economic recovery and an increase in demand for city services, according to State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s analysis of the city’s November financial plan update.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli today announced the indictment of CINDY TAPPE, 57, for orchestrating an approximately $3.5 million 6-year fraud relating to two New York University (“NYU”) programs. TAPPE used her position as the Director of Finance and Administration for NYU’s Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and Transformation of Schools (the “Metro Center”) to divert approximately $3.5 million intended for minority and women owned businesses.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced the following local government audits were issued.

Local sales tax collections in New York state increased by 8.8% in November compared to the same month in 2021, according to an analysis released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Overall, local collections totaled $1.72 billion, up $139 million compared to the same time last year.