By KIM SMITH DEDAM
Staff Writer
TUPPER LAKE — Tupper Lake town accounts are under review by the district attorney.
Franklin County DA Derek Champaign is looking further into details of the Office of State Comptroller's audit released last month, which found several recommendations made to Tupper Lake officials in 2002 had still not been achieved.
Leadership at the town has changed thrice since then, and bookkeeping systems have not kept pace.
QUESTIONS
"I will confirm that my office has reviewed the recent comptroller's report against the 2002 report, and we have a number of questions and concerns," Champagne said, without going into specifics.
"We have reached out to the Comptroller's Office regarding their findings and some other questions we have for them that weren't in the report."
CHECKING FURTHER
Nicole Hanks, spokeswoman for the State Office of Comptroller, said audits evaluate accounting procedures to provide transparency to taxpayers.
"We point these weaknesses out and make recommendations for how to improve them," Hanks said in a recent phone interview.
It is incumbent on town officials to make the improvements.
Tupper officials "did address everything we've pointed out," Hanks said after the most recent report.
But Champagne has asked Assistant District Attorney Glen McNeil to take a look at the new report and the 2002 report.
"We both agree, this is a relatively short span of time to have all the relatively same conduct," Champagne said.
NEW SOFTWARE
At the town office, Administrator Sandy Strader said part of the problem is outdated accounting systems, an issue she has sought to address for several years.
Strader was mayor of the Village of Tupper Lake until 2005 and also worked as the town administrator.
"We have been using Quickbooks, but it's not a municipal accounting program," she said.
Working with the Association of Towns, Tupper Lake councilors selected a new accounting program at a cost of $7,365, Strader said.
They reviewed at least four computer and support systems before choosing Enhanced Business Systems out of the Albany area.
The company's president, Vince Dimoro, is scheduled to come to Tupper Lake next week and meet with Strader and the town's certified public accountant.
"We're getting ready to input the data," Strader said.
"He is coming up to work with us; that's the part I like, the support structure."
The new accounting program includes software for general ledger, accounts payable, payroll and budget preparations.
And all accounts carry year to year, which the previous system did not do, Strader said.
"This will be so much simpler, and it will be accurate. It has everything that we really need."
LACK OF OVERSIGHT
General ledger coordination was not the only problem isolated in the current audit.
Most flaws pointed to poor financial oversight by the Town Council, which did not routinely comply with competitive-bidding policy, did not approve paid vacation time and overspent taxpayer money for town fuel.
Former Highway Superintendent Mark Lavigne retired in April and was replaced on an interim basis by Tupper Lake businessman Rick Datolla.
Town Supervisor Roger Amell took office in 2005, following Greg "Cubby" LaFrance, who was appointed when long-time Supervisor Dean Lefebvre resigned in September 2003, soon after the first audit report. Lefebvre served from 1986 until 2003.
Champagne said options for legal recourse depend on what they find.
"We always prefer education. A few years ago, we had issues with the Town of Burke, and we were able to deal with it through education. It will clearly take some time."
E-mail Kim Smith Dedam at: kdedam@pressrepublican.com
