Yorktown Considers Audit Committee
The Yorktown Town Board heard the report of external auditor Joe Klimek at its work session Tuesday and decided to tentatively act on his recommendation that the town create an audit committee composed of five to seven members.
“That requirement, I think it’s a good recommendation and it’s also something where the town could expand on the committee,” Klimek said.
The auditor said school districts are required to have audit committees, but municipalities are at their discretion to adopt one. Klimek said the committee’s role — whether it has decision-making power or simply will function in an advisory capacity — will be at the discretion of the town board.
Councilman Terrence Murphy said Yorktown is full of the kind of individuals who could make a positive impact on such a committee.
“We have some of the smartest individuals in the world in the world living in Westchester County, some of them in the town of Yorktown, financial geniuses,” he said.
Councilman Nick Bianco said he didn’t support giving the committee decision-making power but believed the town board could benefit from its input.
“I look at it as another set of eyes, and that’s great, because they might have ideas that we don’t even have,” he said.
Yorktown Comptroller Joan Cavorti Goldberg said it’s important to view any potential committee as a positive step forward, not as a punitive measure.
“This is not a suggestion that’s being enacted because something’s wrong. This has been in school districts for some time but is recently starting to come into favor in towns,” she said.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
