The New York State Comptroller’s Office audits reveal security risks in the town’s IT network management and potential overpayments in employee benefits.
AMHERST, NY — The New York State Comptroller’s Office recently released two audits in regards to the Town of Amherst’s IT department and employee benefits.
One audit found the Town did not properly manage network user account access, increasing the risk of unauthorized access, service disruptions or data breaches.
Auditors say they found 11 unnecessary network service accounts remained active, including two with administrative access, and three former employees’ accounts were not disabled for more than 30 days after they left.
The audit also found the Town’s IT hardware inventory was incomplete, with 30 virtual servers missing from its records. State Comptroller’s Office officials made five recommendations, which Town officials generally agreed to implement.
“The Town’s IT Department takes protection of the Town’s network and systems extremely seriously,” said Amherst Town Supervisor Shawn Lavin in a statement. “We appreciate the New York State Comptroller’s Office review and we have taken steps to address their recommendations. Overall, the Town’s IT Department is operating efficiently and effectively, and will continue to review and update policies to ensure procedures are clearly outlined, consistently followed, and aligned with best practices. We take steps daily to strengthen our service to residents and protect the Town’s assets.”
The town has 90 days to submit a corrective action plan to the state. You can read the full report here.
A second state audit found Town officials did not consistently provide employee leave benefits, stipends and separation payments in accordance with the Town’s collective bargaining agreements and policies.
State auditors identified unauthorized leave accruals, unsupported stipends and inaccurate separation payments that resulted in potential overpayments, citing little oversight, decentralized recordkeeping and a lack of familiarity with policy requirements. The audit includes 14 recommendations to improve employee benefits processes, and Town officials told the state they plan to take corrective action while disputing some findings.
You can read the full audit here.
2 On Your Side has reached out to the supervisor’s office for a statement. We were sent this statement from Supervisor Lavin that was shared to residents on July 20.
“I would like to thank New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and his staff for conducting these thorough audits. Their findings independently corroborate several issues I prioritized upon taking office as Town Supervisor. The Town operated with a legacy, decentralized administrative structure in which siloed tracking systems across departments led to documentation gaps, a lack of clear understanding related to the duties surrounding certain salary stipends, and errors in reporting to the state retirement system. Since assuming the role of Supervisor, I have worked with Town Board members and key departments to implement and adopt time-and-attendance policies and to replace the Town’s outdated systems with a centralized, automated system that ensures accountability and protects taxpayer dollars.
I want to stress to Amherst taxpayers that the audit did not allege any fraud, malfeasance, or deliberate misuse of public funds. In most cases, the audit identified gaps in internal documentation and a lack of secondary verification for legacy practices. The potential overpayments cited in the report fundamentally represent a lack of historical paperwork, not an actual, direct cost to the taxpayer. Put simply, the Town had structural issues in tracking its compliance with its own policies and collective bargaining agreements. Moving forward, I have made my expectations clear to every department head: every single dollar of taxpayer money must be rigidly accounted for, and all funds expended must be strictly in line with existing and future Town policies. We welcomed this independent review as a tool to strengthen our operations, and we are moving forward with accountability, efficiency, and transparency.”
The town has shared they have already implemented some changes.