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A Few Clouds Elmont Fire District's spending scrutinized
Elmont district among state municipal audits
Spending nearly $1,200 on Baltimore Orioles tickets and more than $1,800 at a restaurant seem like snapshots of a celebrity lifestyle — not life in a Fire District. Those charges, however, were revealed in State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s audit of the Elmont Fire District from Jan. 1, 2009, to July 31, 2010. DiNapoli announced the completion of the audit on Aug. 4.
“My office’s audits of local governments improve their financial management practices,” he said. “These audits are tools for local officials to make sure proper policies and procedures are in place to protect taxpayer dollars and provide the best possible service these taxpayer dollars can deliver.”
According to DiNapoli, the Elmont Fire District’s Board of Commissioners has not adopted and enforced a written policy governing the proper use of credit cards, and the district paid credit card charges that served no district purpose — including $1,196 for tickets to an Orioles game and $699 at a Baltimore restaurant, $100 of which was spent on beer.
The district also paid a commissioner’s $1,840 charge for a meal at a Baltimore restaurant, without requiring any documentation, according to DiNapoli’s office. Additionally, the comptroller said, the district board appointed a treasurer who lacked the credentials to perform the duties of a public officer, and key budget controls were not implemented or effective in restricting and monitoring budgetary activity.
Finally, according to the audit, the Fire District’s financial reports, including the annual update and audited financial statements, did not contain correct information.
A district spokesperson, who declined to be identified, said that several of the charges included in DiNapoli’s report were based on incidents that took place several months ago, and the Elmont district has since been working to improve its financial procedures.
“The issues in this audit were administrative and procedural in nature,” said Frank Hrbek Jr., chairman of the Fire District’s Board of Commissioners. “We’ve already taken steps to enhance our procedures to address several of the findings, and we will continue to monitor financial controls and ensure that proper systems are in place.” The Fire District declined to comment further.
In a July 1 letter to Ira McCracken, chief examiner of local government and school accountability for DiNapoli’s office, which is included in the audit report, Hrbek wrote that the board views the comptroller’s report as “an opportunity to review and improve upon” its procedures and practices, and intends to do so. He went on to explain that the board was in the process of developing new internal financial controls that would address the issues raised in the audit, including a written credit card policy, which would include repercussions for users who fail to follow its rules.
Hrbek also wrote that the board would amend the district’s travel-expense policy, and that travel advances would no longer be provided. Additionally, he stated that a qualified treasurer would be appointed.
Comments about this story? JNash@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 214.
