New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced his office completed audits of the Town of Carlisle, Keeseville Volunteer Fire Department, City of Niagara Falls and the Village of Sagaponack.

"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."

Town of Carlisle – Fund Balance (Schoharie County)

The board has not developed a fund balance policy or comprehensive long-term financial and capital plans specifying the town"s objectives and goals for using accumulated funds. General fund balance totaled $623,000 at the end of 2016, more than 950 percent of the tax levy and approximately three times actual expenditures that year.

Keeseville Volunteer Fire Department – Financial Operations (Clinton County)

Department officials did not deposit or account for all donations received or deposit money received from fundraisers and lounge sales. Deposits totaling approximately $158,300 were not supported by adequate documentation. Department officials did not approve 499 disbursements totaling $63,010 before payment was made.

City of Niagara Falls – Financial Condition (Niagara County)

The city did not maintain a multiyear financial plan and has continued to rely on unreliable revenues and one-time funding sources. From fiscal years 2014 through 2017, city officials balanced the budget using primarily casino revenue, averaging $9 million, and fund balance, averaging $2.9 million. By the end of 2017, auditors project that the city will deplete available fund balance. Assuming no additional casino revenue is received, the city will have a projected general fund budget gap of $12 million for 2019.

Village of Sagaponack – Claims Processing (Suffolk County)

The board did not perform an effective claims audit or establish an adequate process to ensure that transactions were properly authorized and approved, complied with statutory or village requirements or that claims were for proper village purposes. As a result, the board does not have adequate assurance that goods and services are purchased at the best price.

For access to state and local government spending, public authority financial data and information on 130,000 state contracts, visit Open Book New York. The easy-to-use website was created to promote transparency in government and provide taxpayers with better access to financial data.