ELBRIDGE — A recent audit of the Town of Elbridge by the Office of New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found that town officials did not ensure that all payroll payments were accurate, supported, and authorized, and that leave-accrual records were maintained accurately. Auditors determined that the town supervisor approved payroll without having any […]
ELBRIDGE — A recent audit of the Town of Elbridge by the Office of New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found that town officials did not ensure that all payroll payments were accurate, supported, and authorized, and that leave-accrual records were maintained accurately.
Auditors determined that the town supervisor approved payroll without having any information regarding the numbers of hours that employees worked, the leave time that they used, or their leave-accrual balances, according to the audit report. Staff were also unaware of all the provisions of the collective-bargaining agreement and the town’s employee handbook that affect leave-accrual records. The handbook did not require salaried employees to prepare time sheets or timecards.
As a result, seven full-time employees of the Town of Elbridge with 2024 salaries totaling $238,569 did not prepare time records to document their days and hours worked and leave accruals that they used, the report stated.
The comptroller’s auditors also found that the town paid a $2,600 health-insurance buyout payment without formal board authorization and a retention incentive that exceeded the board’s authorization by $1,000.
Leave-accrual records were also improperly maintained. As a result, town employees were credited with leave time to which they were not entitled, per the comptroller’s office.
The audit period covered Jan. 1, 2023 to July 26, 2024, and the comptroller’s office extended its audit period to review the town’s payroll cycle through January 2025.
The audit report includes nine recommendations that, if implemented, will help the Town of Elbridge board and town officials improve their payroll and leave-accrual processes.
“Town officials agreed with our recommendations and indicated they plan to initiate corrective action,” the comptroller’s office said.
The town of Elbridge is located in western Onondaga County, bordering Cayuga County, and has a population of about 5,500.
