Carmel, NY – Last week, the New York State Comptroller’s Office (OSC) published a report on their audit of Putnam County’s Recreation and Golf Course collections. The report is a culmination of months of collaboration between Putnam County and the OSC’s Local Government and School Accountability Division. The audit period covers a portion of the last year of the prior County Executive’s administration and continued into a portion of the first year of the current administration. Last year, the Administration requested a full risk assessment by the OSC. The Administration believes this is likely what led to the full audit.

“Coming into office, we recognized that the need for a comprehensive evaluation of the County’s finances and controls, including the Golf Course and our parks. This is precisely why we engaged OSC early on in my tenure to request a comprehensive risk assessment which was completed at no additional cost to Putnam County taxpayers,” said County Executive Kevin Byrne. “Throughout our term in office, this Administration has worked closely with the team from OSC to identify areas of potential risk and exposure. Their presence highlighted several areas for improvement . We took the time to listen, learn, and have already instituted a number of policy changes that will better safeguard county resources.”

The complete report can be found on the NYS OSC’s website at https://www.osc.ny.gov/local-government/audits/county/2024/09/20/county-putnam-recreation-and-golf-course-collections-2024m-50. This audit report was conducted at no local cost to county taxpayers, and is part of the Byrne Administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and ensuring the highest standards in fiscal management.

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2024, September 3 - Deputy County Executive James Burpoe’s official response to OSC’s Putnam County Audit, detailing some of the corrective actions that have already been instituted, and plans to improve operations at the County Golf Course and Veterans Memorial Park. Retrieved from Putnam County OSC Response Letter.pdf (putnamcountyny.gov)

2024, March 9 - County Court / Clerk Audit. Retrieved from https://www.osc.ny.gov/local-government/audits/court-and-trust/2024/03/29/putnam-county-court-and-trust-funds-2024-ct-2

2023, June 20 - Putnam County Executive Requests & Welcomes New York State comptroller’s Office for Risk Assessment of Putnam County Government. Retrieved from Putnam County Executive Requests & Welcomes New York State Comptroller’s Office for Risk Assessment of Putnam County Government - Putnam County, New York (putnamcountyny.gov)