Local Government Publications

Local governments undertake capital projects to acquire, develop, improve or maintain various facilities, other infrastructure and/or equipment. These projects are generally large in scale, require large sums of money and are long-term. A capital projects fund is used to account for the financial resources supporting capital projects during the life of the project. This guide is intended to provide local officials with an overview of the use of capital projects funds and guidance on the fundamentals of accounting for capital projects. Accounting and reporting for capital projects can be a complex matter. As a result, we have developed several comprehensive examples and corresponding journal entries: Sample Capital Project #1 - Construction of a new office building (City) [pdf]; Sample Capital Project #2 - Purchase of a new highway truck (Town) [pdf]; Sample Capital Project #3 - Purchase of a new highway truck (Village) [pdf].

This guide covers the following key fiscal oversight responsibilities of a governing board: developing policies, monitoring fiscal operations and conducting audits.

This guide will address the process for developing an effective capital plan. It will discuss: • Developing a capital planning process • Creating an asset inventory • Prioritizing capital projects • Assessing budgetary impacts • Financing capital acquisitions • Adopting a capital plan and budget • Monitoring plan results.

Learn about electronic cash management technologies and the internal controls needed to help detect fraud and ensure that all transactions are captured. Relevant topics include the use of online banking, electronic transfers of funds, accepting credit/debit cards, remote deposit capture, lockboxes and common protection practices to safeguard cash.
Updated December 2021 (Previously Updated May 2010)

This guide is a resource for those governing bodies and officials who are responsible for preparing, developing, and monitoring the annual budget. The following is an overview of the information contained in this guide: • Who is Responsible? • Information Used to Prepare the Budget • Budget Preparation Process • Putting the Tentative Budget Together • Implementing the Budget • Monitoring the Budget

The impact of an unplanned IT disruption involving the corruption or loss of data or other computer resources could significantly curtail an organization’s operations. Proactively anticipating and planning for IT disruptions prepares personnel for the actions they must take if this happens.

The Security Self- Assessment is intended to help personnel responsible for the day-to-day management of IT operations exercise effective IT operation oversight. The Self-Assessment addresses key areas of IT internal controls such as policy, training, access and contingency planning.

This guide describes the types of reserve funds that local governments and school districts can establish and maintain. In general, reserve funds have specific intended purposes and requirements as set forth in law. This guide contains a summary of the many different types of reserve funds authorized by New York State statutes.

The guide has been written is a resource for those governing bodies and officials who are responsible for the audit of claims. It is also the hope that the information contained in the guide will be valuable to new board members and inexperienced claims auditors. The guide provides a foundation of knowledge that users can build upon as they gain experience auditing claims.

This guide will address a number of practices that local officials can use to receive the most value from their government’s investment in capital assets.

This guide is intended to help local governments create an effective multiyear planning process that helps identify and manage potential fiscal difficulties before crises emerge. Developed with input and assistance from local officials across the State, this handbook provides general guidelines for the development of a financial planning process, including suggestions for how to: • Make good long-term revenue and expenditure projections; • Measure expected benefits from proposed local actions; and • Draw those projections together in a useful document for local decision-makers and other audiences.

The following guidance is intended to make oversight less daunting by providing a path for understanding and strengthening IT internal controls.

The purpose of this management guide is to provide practical information about internal controls for local government financial operations. The control procedures discussed in this guide are presented in an easy reference format which lists individual controls (for specific financial areas) and the reasons why the control is important. Choosing the right internal controls and ensuring that they are consistently applied will help ensure that local governments are using public assets efficiently and protecting against loss, waste and abuse

To keep public funds safe, officials and cash managers need to understand the requirements they must comply with and the investment limitations and safeguards required of local government investments and deposits. This guide includes the following sections about the fundamentals of investing and protecting local government funds in New York State: • Prudence in Investments • Actively Monitor Cash Flow • Investment of Public Funds • Protection of Deposits and Investments • Investment Policy • Other Topics

Malicious software, or malware, refers to software programs that are designed to harm computer systems. These programs can wreak havoc on both systems and electronic data by, for example, deleting files, gathering sensitive information such as passwords without the computer user’s knowledge and making systems inoperable. Computer users can inadvertently install malware on their computers by many methods, including opening email attachments, downloading content from the Internet or merely visiting infected websites.

Local government sales tax collections in New York State totaled $5.83 billion in the second calendar quarter of 2024, up 2.2 percent (or $127 million) compared to the same quarter last year. While year-over-year growth in the second quarter was slightly stronger than the 1.6 percent increase seen in the first quarter, it still lagged growth rates realized after the first quarter in 2021. However, it was not unusual to see collections increase around (or under) 2 percent, year over year, in the decade before the pandemic. New York City collections grew by 3.3 percent in the second quarter, while the counties and cities throughout the rest of the State, in aggregate, experienced 1.4 percent growth, year over year. | Regional Table [xlsx]

This report focuses on the condition of local bridges using data from the Federal Highway Administration’s National Bridge Inventory. New York has made progress in recent years. Since 2017, the share of local bridges in poor condition has fallen from 12.1 percent to 10.0 percent. The federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) has directed federal funds to a variety of infrastructure projects, including bridge projects. The IIJA created the Bridge Formula Program, which provides $2.0 billion in federal funding for New York bridges from federal fiscal years 2022-2026. New York State’s Bridge NY program facilitates federally funded local bridge projects. Since 2016, Bridge NY has funded more than 800 projects with a total investment of nearly $1.7 billion. For county-level bridge data across the State, see our interactive map | download data [xlsx].

This report summarizes data for fiscal year 2022, the most recent data reported by IDAs through the Public Authorities Reporting Information System. The report also contains a brief discussion of local development corporations, a related type of local authority. For regional and IDA-level summary data, see our Interactive Map. For more detailed IDA and project-level data, see IDA 2022 | LDC 2022.

Local government sales tax collections in New York State totaled $5.6 billion in the first calendar quarter of 2024, up 1.6 percent (or $87.3 million) compared to the same quarter last year. While this marked the lowest rate of growth since the same quarter in 2021, it is important to note that where were several quarters of under 2 percent growth in the two decades prior to the pandemic. New York City’s 3.2 percent increase in first quarter collections was responsible for nearly all statewide growth. Conversely, the counties and cities throughout the rest of the State, in aggregate, experienced no growth (-0.03 percent). | Regional Table [xlsx]

This bulletin provides guidance on amendments to General Municipal Law (GML) Section 209-b, which authorizes authorities having control of fire departments and fire companies (i.e. cities, villages, towns or fire districts) that provide emergency and general ambulance services (services) to charge fees for certain emergency and ambulance services. This bulletin includes accounting guidance as well as general internal controls and best practices that should be considered when implementing billing for these services in accordance with the amended law.