Congressman Maloney helping Fishkill residents with FEMA

Editors note: The Fishkill GOP town board violated the law passing this in Fishkill.

Bob Dumas Hudson Valley Reporter, for more local news check out the papers website.

http://hudsonvalleyreporter.com/dutchess/2014/02/fema-and-maloney-to-explain-impact-of-fishkill-creek-flood-map-changes/

FISHKILL, N.Y. –  In the wake of FEMA’s reevaluation of flood maps near Fishkill Creek, an informal information session will be held this week to help area residents understand the impact of the changes that removed 125 households from the flood plain.

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney helped facilitate the changes and he said his staff members will be available at the meeting to help homeowners work one-on-one with FEMA if their property has been designated in a flood plain.

“Supporting my neighbors and helping them protect their homes and families from disaster has been my priority since day one,” Maloney said.

Maloney is a co-sponsor the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act, which would provide relief to homeowners from rising flood insurance prices by delaying flood insurance premium increases, a companion of which passed the Senate with a vote of 68-32 on Jan. 30.

The FEMA information session will be held Thursday, Feb. 27, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Fishkill Town Hall located at 801 Route 52. FEMA specialists will be available to meet one-on-one with homeowners affected by the flood map changes. Other families throughout Fishkill and Wappinger who are not impacted by the change are also invited to attend if they have questions about their own property being newly included in the floodplain.

Fishkill Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River and is the second longest stream in the county, after Wappinger Creek. While the creek is not used for any local water supply, it remains a focus of regional conservation efforts as a recreational and aesthetic resource, especially since the lower Fishkill watershed has been extensively developed in the last two decades. It flows through several local parks and is a popular trout stream.

Donald Trump attacks Fishkill Assemblyman Lalor again

He also knocked Assemblyman Kieran Michael Lalor, R-Fishkill, Dutchess County, who wrote an op-ed in the New York Post in support of Astorino.

Trump said he saved a foundering golf course in Dutchess County, which is now Trump National Golf Club, Hudson Valley.

“I took this total loser and made it a winner, which is by the way what we have do with the state,” Trump said.

He called Lalor, “the assemblyman who I never heard of, by the way, and nobody else seems to know him.”

http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2014/02/20/trump-astorino-cant-win-highest-tax-westchester/

Fishkill Assemblyman Lalor, Donald Trump Twitter war

Background, Lalor has backed Westchester County Executive Astorino to run for Governor over Trump. Lalor also wrote a story to the NY Post attacking Trump. Trump then began a Twitter campaign against Lalor.

1. Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump  Feb 20

   .@KieranLalor I created far more jobs and success in Dutchess than you--you should be "Fired."

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2. Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump  Feb 20

   I took a failed club in Dutchess County & made it a great success plus many jobs. @KieranLalor should be thankful.

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Lalor in the NY Post

Donald Trump is wasting our time. He won’t wind up running for governor because he’d lose, and by an embarrassingly wide margin. Trump knows that; it’s what the polls say and he isn’t delusional — he’s a showman playing a character. He’s looking for some headlines because that’s his MO.

Official NYS Report on Recreation Center

http://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/audits/towns/2014/fishkill.pdf

Summary

DiNAPOLI: AUDIT FINDS MISUSE OF FUNDS IN TOWN OF FISHKILL

The former recreation director in the town of Fishkill allegedly misused as much as $50,000 generated by the town’s senior center, according to an audit released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The findings of the Comptroller’s audit and investigation have been referred to Dutchess County District Attorney William V. Grady.

“Senior citizens who thought they were paying for activities and events were unwittingly padding this individual’s bank account,” said DiNapoli. “This type of flagrant behavior went undetected because the town lacked basic checks and balances. I urge Fishkill officials to take immediate action to shore up internal financial controls so taxpayer funds are secure and being spent appropriately in the future.”

The town offers various services to residents through its senior center, including providing food, coffee, bingo games, and organizing paid day trips and overnight trips. The town’s recreation director is responsible for the center’s financial activities.

DiNapoli’s audit revealed the former director did not issue receipts for cash collected at the senior center and did not remit money to the town comptroller or provide reports to the town supervisor. Based on senior center revenue collections made after the former director retired, auditors project that center funds totaling as much as $26,000 in 2011 and $19,000 in 2012 may be gone.

In addition, the former director opened an unauthorized bank account which allowed her to deposit senior center funds and make undetected and inappropriate withdrawals. Auditors found the director routinely paid for overnight trips for center members with her personal credit card. The director subsequently wrote checks from the unauthorized account to herself and her husband for $3,500 more than the actual cost and she and her husband did not pay $4,600 in personal fees for the trips.

The Comptroller’s audit and investigation also revealed:
·        The former director purchased items that do not appear to have been used for center activities, including: patio furniture, baby items, wine, office furniture and computer equipment;
·        On the day before the former director retired, more than $20,000 of unsecured cash and checks was found in a department file cabinet with no indication that it would be remitted to the town comptroller; and
·        The former director and certain senior center members and staff also failed to reimburse the town for two cruises, a trip to Las Vegas and day trips.

DiNapoli made several recommendations to the town to improve financial oversight, including:
·        Review all reimbursements made to the former director and her husband and take steps to recover any overpayment of funds;
·        Require all department financial transactions be conducted through the town comptroller; and
·        Segregate the duties of the recreation director, or provide additional oversight, to ensure that all money collected is accounted for.

Town officials generally agreed with the audit findings and indicated they have taken steps to improve their internal financial controls. Their complete response to the audit is included in the final report.

For a copy of the report, visit: http://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/audits/towns/2014/fishkill.pdf

DiNapoli encourages the public to help fight fraud and abuse. New Yorkers can report allegations of fraud involving taxpayer money by calling the toll-free Fraud Hotline at 1-888-672-4555, by filing a complaint online at investigations@osc.state.ny.us, or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Investigations Unit, 14th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.

State audit finds misuse of funds in Town of Fishkill Rec Department

http://midhudsonnews.com/News/2014/February/21/FishkillRecAudit-21Feb14.htm For more free local news check out the papers website.

Editors Note: I have been calling for a Forensic Audit for years. The Supervisor said it was not needed. Last year sewer district tennants were hit with a 135% tax increase when paperwork came back bad. Now we have this.

A Forensic Audit is needed, we cannot trust the Supervisor who has failed to protect the taxpayers of the Town of Fishkill.

ALBANY – The former recreation director in the Town of Fishkill allegedly misused as much as $50,000 generated by the town’s senior center, according to an audit by the State Comptroller’s Office. The findings have been turned over to Dutchess County District Attorney William Grady.

The state audit found that the former director did not issue receipts for cash collected at the senior center and did not remit money to the town comptroller or provide reports to the town supervisor. Based on senior center revenue collections made after the woman retired following some 20 years of service to Fishkill, auditors projected that center funds totaling as much as $26,000 in 2011 and $19,000 in 2012 may have been gone.

Town officials first discovered the discrepancies, Town Supervisor Robert LaColla said Friday.

? “It was almost as if she was running a separate business within the recreation department,” he said. “There were a lot of irregular practices that we had been trying to counsel her about and then when we found the bank account we knew we had some serious issues there so we turned it over to the state.”

The former director opened an unauthorized bank account which allowed her to deposit senior center funds and make undetected and inappropriate withdraws, the state audit said. Officials said she routinely paid for overnight trips for center members with her personal credit card and then wrote checks from the unauthorized account to herself and her husband for $3,500 more than the actual cost and she and her husband did not pay $4,600 in personal fees for the trips.

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli recommended that the town improve financial oversight.