TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—The township’s auditor said at the Oct. 7 council meeting that the 2023 audit showed the municipality “continues to be in excellent financial condition.”
Gary Vinci of Lerch, Vinci & Bliss LLP said the township ended 2023 with $3.1 million in surplus, which was approximately $250,000 less than in 2022. The township had a $16 million budget, he said.
He said should the upcoming township-wide revaluation lead to any successful tax appeals, there is a $350,000 reserve available.
Vinci said the 2023 audit produced two recommendations, both regarding procurement of goods and services. He said state contacts via co-ops that are entered into, usually for cost savings, must have documents retained in the finance department and the governing body must approve a resolution to award the co-op contract.
Also, he said, department heads should not obtain goods or allow work to commence without a purchase order being issued, which had happened in the audited year.
“Both were really not significant but both do require some improvement within the township recordkeeping,” said Vinci.
Councilmembers also asked Vinci about procedures for participating in co-ops and proper handling of escrow accounts and balances.
Asked for comment, Mayor Peter Calamari told Pascack Press on Oct. 8, “I am pleased Mr. Vinci reported the town is in excellent financial shape. We work hard every day to keep it that way, and the departments keep their annual budget requests and daily spends reasonable.”
Calamari added, “We have undertaken many capital improvements to improve the town facilities during the last seven years in a fiscally responsible manner. I am happy he stated the town ended 2023 with a very healthy surplus of $3.1 million for a total budget of $16 million.”
And he said, “I want to compliment the staff in moving the number of audit recommendations in the right direction.”