Saturday, February 27, 2010

Insurance Fraud Is No Laughing Matter, Costing Honest New Yorkers Millions -- ALBANY, N.Y., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --


SUPPOSED DISABLED WOMAN HAD REASON TO BE A HAPPY CAMPER: A 56-year-old Ulster County woman suffered injuries which left her 'totally disabled' and forced her to leave her teaching position in the Kingston, NY school district in 2005, according to the NYSID. However, this same individual was arrested in October 2009 "for accepting $73,000 in workers' compensation benefits while she worked at a youth sports camp." The benefits she allegedly received under false pretenses were paid through Ulster County, whose self-insured workers' compensation plan covers Kingston School District employees.



Insurance Fraud Is No Laughing Matter, Costing Honest New Yorkers Millions -- ALBANY, N.Y., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --: "Insurance Fraud Is No Laughing Matter"

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

SALES TAX DROP...WHAT THAT MEANS



Dutchess, Ulster sales tax revenue down 7.5% in 2009



ALBANY _ A steep drop in sales-tax collections between 2008 and 2009 is another sign that the state’s recession is not over, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said in a report today...In Dutchess and Ulster counties, sales-tax revenue dropped 7.5 percent between 2008 and 2009.

(The estimated sales tax revenue for 2009 was projected in the budget as $85,111,235.00. A 7.5% drop translates into a loss of $5.4 million. The 2010 budget reflects that decrease by projecting revenues from sales tax at $79,521,173.00)

Read the complete story in the Poughkeepsie Journal-

Friday, February 19, 2010

Auerbach Addresses Southern Ulster Chamber



Southern Ulster Chamber of Commerce SPEAKER IS ELLIOTT AUERBACH ..THE ULSTER COUNTY COMPTROLLER.
Topic:
"WHY SHOULDN'T WE DEMAND FROM GOVERNMENT WHAT WE DEMAND FROM OUR BUSINESS AND OURSELVES"

Come join us for a great evening with a great speaker.
Members $25.00 and Non members $30.00
Three choices of entree's
Chicken Marsala
Grilled Salmon
Broccolli Alfredo

February Dinner Hosted by Piccole Fiore
Sponsered by Signs-a-Rama/Hudson Valley Impressions!!!
Time:5:30PM Wednesday, February 24th
Location:Highland, NY

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

THE ILL-EFFECTS OF NEPOTISM

Ulster comptroller pleased with parallel studies to eliminate nepotism
(Copyright © 2009 Mid-Hudson News Network, a division of Statewide News Network, Inc)

KINGSTON – Months after Ulster County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach suggested the county look into establishing policy to eliminate nepotism among the ranks of county employees, Monday he lauded movement toward that.

County Executive Michael Hein and Legislature Chairman Frederick Wadnola have each launched efforts to eradicate family connections in county employment and Auerbach is pleased with that.

“I am very impressed that both the chairman and the exec have run a parallel course to deal with what has been determined as a decade old problem in the county and it came to the surface with the investigation at the health department specific to familial relationships or nepotism, and we raised that issue in our November report,” he said.

Wadnola has created a new committee on Government Operations and Efficiency to look into it and Hein has ordered his department heads to come up with suggested ways to eliminate supervision of employees by family members.

Monday, February 1, 2010

COMPTROLLER CONFIDENTIAL FEBRUARY 2010


COMPTROLLER CONFIDENTIAL FEBRUARY 2010

The month of February is filled with promise to both finish up and begin several reviews that point an arrow at efficiency and effectiveness.

1) A review and recap of payroll certification for 2009. A quick “look back” indicates that our office has reviewed over $95, 742,956.00 in annual payroll affecting over 2000 employees.
2) A review of the process that the Commissioner of Finance performs when reconciling close to thirty accounts with an average combined balance in excess of $70,000,000.00.
3) A look at all of the millions of dollars of debt of taxing entities in Ulster County, including school districts, fire districts, villages, towns, special districts and the County itself.
4) The use and assignment of EZ PASS by the various county departments.
5) A payroll practice assessment of Public Works and a payroll audit of the Infirmary.


Last month’s legislative attendance report clearly demonstrated the need for the Chairman to institute a mechanism that explains legislators’ absences. In some cases missing a meeting, public hearing or vote could be attributed to “circumstances beyond control” due to family or health challenges, but without a method to duly note “for the record” the reason behind the absence, legislators are simply marked “present” or “absent”.

I am happy to see that the Chairman, as well as the Executive, took notice of our November 2009 report of the Ulster County Department Health specific to SEGREGATION OF DUTIES AND NEPOTISM. We could not be clearer when we stated that employees in familial relationships ought not to work within the same department and division, especially in a supervisor/staff relationship.