New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced his office completed audits of the Albany Public Library, Cambria Housing Authority and the Oneida County Department of Social Services.

“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.”

Albany Public Library – Leave Accruals (Albany County)

There is no procedure in place to verify that leave credits earned are in accordance with provisions in the collective bargaining agreement. The board has not established a standard leave request form or other formal procedure for employees to request leave time. The process for monitoring, requesting and approving leave is not consistent across library departments.

Cambria Housing Authority – Financial Management (Niagara County)

Claims were not properly itemized, supported and audited by the board prior to payment. Auditors found that 63 claims totaling $31,823 did not contain sufficient itemization or documentation. The board also did not audit these claims prior to payment. Authority officials could not provide evidence that they conducted an annual income recertification for eight of the 10 tenants reviewed.

Oneida County Department of Social Services – Contract Monitoring and Payments (2015M-244)

Department officials need to improve their monitoring of contracts with community-based agencies to ensure that the services provided and payments received were in accordance with contractual agreements. Contracts were not always renegotiated in a timely manner and county officials may be overpaying for services or paying for services not received.

For access to state and local government spending, public authority financial data and information on 50,000 state contracts, visit Open Book New York. The easy-to-use website was created by Comptroller DiNapoli to promote openness in government and provide taxpayers with better access to the financial workings of government.