The Office of the New York State Comptroller provides a “Financial Toolkit for Local Officials,” containing guidance and tools for use by local government and school district leaders in navigating financial processes. This article provides a brief overview of this guidance, along with links to some of the resources available.

Last updated on June 16th, 2025Our last article discussed the concerns raised by the Office of the NY State Comptroller (OSC) over financial transparency and accountability in New York State Villages. The OSC report entitled “Transparency and Accountability of Fiscal Activities in Villages” indicates that many of the weaknesses in

Last updated on May 5th, 2025In December 2024, the Office of the NY State Comptroller (OSC) issued a report titled “Transparency and Accountability of Fiscal Activities in Villages.” The report examined financial transparency in the 532 villages that comprise New York State, specifically focusing on the villages’ accounting records and

Over the last several years, New York State has significantly expanded cybersecurity measures in response to the ever-growing threat of cyberattacks against local governments. Cyberattacks have led to data breaches, ransomware threats, crippling disruptions, and major financial losses for targeted government entities. New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli stated the

Financial statement audits are crucial to any organization’s financial health, and government entities are no exception. A financial statement audit provides an independent assessment of an organization’s financial statements, which in turn ensures transparency, accountability, and a strong foundation for future planning. Preparation is key to ensuring a smooth audit

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement No. 101 updates GASB Statement No. 16 and addresses the matter of compensated absences for employees of state and local governments. What is GASB 101? GASB 101 is an update to the guidelines for state and local governments regarding paid employee leave, otherwise

Last updated on September 20th, 2024Procurement is in the spotlight on global, federal, state, and local stages. Driven by rising costs, supply chain fragility, the beyond-fast evolution of technology, social and environmental concerns, ever-changing legislation, staffing challenges, and more, all levels of government are being challenged like never before to

With budget season around the corner, the following are some strategies and changes you may want to consider. Rethinking How You Budget While line-item budgets for municipalities served their purpose for a long time, in 2022 the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), and the