Ulster County Comptroller

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

DiNapoli stumps for Auerbach

KINGSTON – State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli was the keynote speaker at a well-attended fundraiser held in Kingston Tuesday night for the reelection of his Ulster County counterpart Elliott Auerbach. "I suspect he will win by a landslide," DiNapoli predicted. Under the then-new county charter, Auerbach, an Ellenville Democrat, was elected county comptroller in 2008 and 2010, for two and three year terms respectively. The 2014 race is for a full four-year term. Auerbach's original Republican opponent, Town of Ulster Supervisor James Quigley, dropped out of the race shortly after announcing his candidacy last summer. Quigley was replaced by Linda McDonough, a Lake Katrine resident. McDonough lost the Republican primary for county comptroller in 2010 to deputy county clerk Fawn Tantillo. Auerbach soundly defeated Tantillo in the general election that year. Tuesday's fundraiser was a Who's Who of local politics, attended by nearly every prominent Democrat in the county. "To me, the most important qualifications are to be an individual of integrity and independence," DiNapoli said of Auerbach. “In the years that I have known Elliott and have had the chance to work with him, I have always been struck by the fact that he is exactly the kind of person you want in public service – no nonsense, dedicated to the mission of serving people, someone you can absolutely trust – his character is strong and clear and outstanding – and he calls the shots as he sees them.” Auerbach praised DiNapoli as a role model for his own policies. "His respect for the duty he has to the taxpayers of New York, and the integrity of his office, are models of good government compliance, and has been touchstones to me to shape my own office," Auerbach said.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Economic Indicators - Dangerous Times for Sales Tax Politics

Economic Indicators_Non-Property Tax Revenue

Monday, September 23, 2013

SEPARATION PAYOUT: The Complexity of Paying Out 244 Employees Nearly $1.5m

VIGILENCE NEEDED.Golden Hill Separation Pay Press Release

Golden Hill Health Care Center Separation Payout 09.23.13

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

DO YOU HAVE A STASH OF CASH WAITING FOR YOU?

Find Forgotten Funds at Expo 09.16.13

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Fare To Fair Street

Ulster lawmakers reimbursed $13,000 to commute to county building (Copyright © 2013 Mid-Hudson News Network, a division of Statewide News Network, Inc) KINGSTON – A report by the Ulster County comptroller’s office found that members of the county legislature were reimbursed over $13,000 for commuting miles to the county office building in Kingston last year. While county employees are not reimbursed to drive to and from home to work, state law allows county legislators to put in for that mileage. Legislators were reimbursed $17,497 for total miles traveled, which included $3,858 for business mileage. County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach said for the protection of the county and individual legislators, the reimbursements must be reported as taxable income and he recommended that a unique county policy be formally adopted by the legislature. The report, a follow up to a 2010 report on county mileage, found that over a five-year period, total county reimbursed mileage decreased by $400,000 with 2012 showing a $152,000 reduction from the 2008 baseline. “Utilization of vehicles from the county owned fleet, the cooperation of the executive’s office and every department head, and a conscientious effort of every employee to embrace other cost saving measures contributed greatly to the savings,” Auerbach said.