Southtowns Record

Town of Brant – Transparency of Fiscal Activities (S9-25-23)

Government
Town of Brant
Posted by publisher
Mar 20, 2026
Kind
State audit
Topics
Audits and oversight, Budget and taxes

Publisher's summary

Did the Town of Brant (Town) Board (Board) conduct or provide for an annual audit of the Town Supervisor’s (Supervisor) financial records and reports, and did the Supervisor file the Annual Financial Report (AFR) with the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) as required?

Original document

Text · page 6 of 17

Based on our review of the Supervisor’s records, we determined that the Supervisor did not:

  • Record financial activities in the Town’s accounting system in a timely manner. Instead, the
  Supervisor’s appointed part-time bookkeeper recorded cash receipts and disbursements manually
  in a spreadsheet.

  • Perform bank reconciliations or report the financial results to the Board, which undermined the
  Board’s responsibility to oversee the Town’s financial operations and safeguard Town resources.

  • Generate or provide the Board with reports such as budget-to-actual reports or trial balances,
  which limited its ability to effectively monitor the Town’s financial operations.

Below are examples of issues we identified that, had the Board conducted an annual audit of the
Supervisor’s books and records, it may have identified, and potentially helped remedy:

Accounting Records and Bank Reconciliations – The bookkeeper maintained the Supervisor’s cash
receipts and disbursements records for fiscal year 2024 in a spreadsheet, instead of the Town’s
accounting software. The bookkeeper told us that she was unable to record the financial activities for
2024 in the accounting software because she and the Supervisor were still working on entering prior
fiscal years. During our fieldwork, conducted in July 2025, the Supervisor and bookkeeper were still
working on entering fiscal year 2022 transactions. Further, because they relied on the accounting
software to perform bank reconciliations, they had not reconciled the Supervisor’s bank accounts
since 2021. As a result, the Board had not received bank reconciliations from the Supervisor. Timely,
sufficient and accurate accounting records by the Supervisor are essential for the preparation of
financial reports, which in turn help the Board monitor and manage financial operations and assess and
make decisions regarding the Town’s financial condition.

Financial Reporting – Because they relied on the accounting software to generate financial reports,
and financial activities were not recorded in the accounting software in a timely manner, neither the
Supervisor nor the bookkeeper were able to generate, or provide the Board with, any interim financial
reports This included bank reconciliations, budget-to-actual reports that compare budget estimates with
actual revenues and disbursements, and trial balance reports which show cash and fund balances at
the time of the report. The Supervisor told us he did not ensure his records were maintained and up
to date because other competing priorities diverted his attention. Routine interim reports provided to
the Board that summarize financial activities help the Board monitor the Town’s financial operations
throughout the year.

Recommendations

The Board should:

1.  Conduct the annual audit of the Supervisor’s records and reports in accordance with Town Law.

2. Request financial reports to monitor the Town’s financial operations and make informed decisions.

4  Of f ic e of t he New York State Comptroller