The Year in Review: 2023
Welcome to the Comptroller’s Year in Review newsletter. It’s been a busy and very positive year in the Comptroller’s Office. We’ve made major improvements that affect businesses that work with the County, people who work for the County, and the residents and taxpayers who live and work here. And we’ve resolved issues that have plagued the County for years, bringing in long-delayed revenue and paying off old liabilities.
The following are some of the highlights of 2023:
Senior Discount Program
The Comptroller has launched a new Nassau County Senior Discount Program in partnership with the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce. Through this program, we will inform seniors about Nassau businesses that offer senior discounts.
Nassau County is home to approximately 300,000 residents who are 60 years old and over, and about 45,000 small businesses (50 employees or less) and many large companies. The new Senior Discount Program is a win-win, providing money-saving opportunities for older adults and the opportunity for higher visibility and new customers for local businesses.
Nassau County businesses that offer a Senior Discount can register here at no charge.
Seniors may access the list of discounts, still in its early stages, here.
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Doing Business with Nassau County (Claims)
- The Comptroller’s Office resolved a contract/payment dispute with Veolia Water Long Island, Inc. that dates back to 2017. The County received payment of $20+ million that was long overdue, and paid Veolia $15 million dollars the County owed them, settling the seven-year dispute.
- Lawyers who provide legal services to indigent Nassau residents were finally paid after more than two years of payment processing delays. These lawyers, and the courts that approve their charges, were transitioned into the County’s electronic invoice processing (eClaims) system to improve efficiency and keep their payments up to date.
- The e-Claims payment processing system is now in place in 95% of County departments, reducing paper submissions and improving turnaround time.
- To ensure businesses stay up to speed on best practices, the Vendor Claims Division launched a Vendor Claims Newsletter for companies and non-profits that do business with Nassau County. It contains updates and information about how to maximize the efficiency of getting invoices paid.
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- To prevent fraud as the County pays millions of dollars in invoices each year, the Comptroller’s Office has been working closely with the County’s Departments of Information Technology and Procurement & Compliance to implement state-of-the-art security features in our payment processing system, including:
- Multi-Factor Authentication, a two-step vendor account verification process,
- Account Validation Service, which verifies vendors’ profiles and bank accounts,
- A quality control process known as Infodex for Automatic Clearing House (ACH) electronic funds transfer (EFT) payments, and
- An online vendor W-9 verification process.
- To streamline the contract approval process and increase efficiency, the Comptroller’s office is working with the County Administration to extend the validity period of vendor financial disclosure forms from six to 12 months, with a requirement to update any relevant changes in between.
- The Comptroller’s Office is bringing a new vendor onboard to assist with 1099 information reporting in compliance with IRS regulations and updates.
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Ensuring Accountability (Field Audit)
In 2023, the Comptroller’s Office released seven audit reports aimed at assuring accountability and efficiency within government and the businesses and non-profits that do business with the County.
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- In January 2023, we released the Review of the 2020/2021 Reassessment, which shed light on the problems with the reassessment process and the implications of those problems.
- In March, we released a Four-Part Audit of Town of Hempstead Sanitary District No. 7, which revealed weaknesses in the District's policies, procedures and operations, and made recommendations for improvements.
- In September, the Office published our Review of the Department of Public Works' Change Order Process, which showed great strides toward improvements in the capital projects procurement processes.
- Last week, we released the long-awaiting report on the Licensing Division of the County’s Department of Consumer Affairs, which showed that mismanagement from 2019 to 2021 led to a backlog of thousands of applications, followed by major improvements in 2022.
- Our Field Audit team is in the process of the following audits:
- Reviewing and Updating Petty Cash Accounts and Processes throughout the County;
- Utilization of Hotels and Motels by the Nassau County Department of Social Services (DSS) for Emergency Housing;
- Horizon Hearts homeless shelter's compliance with the Living Wage Law.
- The Field Audit team is also reviewing and documenting Cash Receipt and Revenue Flow Processes County-wide.
- We will be releasing the results of the audit of the Town of North Hempstead Building Department in the coming weeks.
In addition, the Comptroller’s Office is implementing a new Petty Cash Management System for County departments, which is in the pilot phase now.
Managing the County’s Finances (Accounting)
The Accounting Division of the Comptroller’s Office is leading the charge in a multi-year initiative dubbed Nassau Forward to replace the County’s antiquated financial information system. Dating back to the 1990s, the current system is nearing the end of its useful life and no longer meets the complex needs of the County. Through the Nassau Forward project, the County will implement a modern integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software system with increased functionality, reporting, automation and access to real time data. In 2023:
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- A County-wide ERP Needs Assessment Review was conducted to document current financial processes and technologies in place at the County and to help determine the future state of operational and procedural processes and policies.
- More than 200 employees representing 36 County departments and agencies are participating in the Nassau Forward initiative.
- The Comptroller’s Office issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a Software Provider and Implementor. The RFP closed on September 21 and the Software Selection Committee is in the process of reviewing proposals.
- The Accounting Division also issued an RFP and selected Deloitte as the accounting firm to assist in the preparation of the County’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR).
The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) awarded the County the GFOA Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Annual Comprehensive Financial Reporting (ACFR) and the GFOA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting (PAFR), which helped the County secure the GFOA Triple Crown, which includes recognition of the ACFR, PAFR and annual Budget [a document prepared by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)].
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Serving Nassau County’s Employees (Payroll & Health Benefits)
In addition to administering payroll and health benefits for the County’s 8,000 employees, 12,000 retirees and their dependents for a total of 50,000 covered lives, and managing Open Enrollment for all eligible employees, the Comptroller’s Payroll & Health Benefits Division is responsible for implementing changes brought about by new collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). In 2023, Nassau’s Police Benevolent Association (PBA) and Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) unions both signed new CBAs.
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The Comptroller's Office has worked hard to ensure that all changes were delivered to the members in a timely manner:
- PBA salary increases were implemented in May 2023,
- PBA retroactive salary payments were completed in July 2023, and
- Open Enrollment for the PBA’s High Deductible Healthcare plan was completed in July 2023.
- CSEA bonuses were distributed in November,
- CSEA salary increases will be in place by end-of-year, and
- CSEA retroactive pay increases will be distributed in early 2024.
- 9,100 CSEA members (employees and retirees) will be transitioned from their current Empire health insurance plan to the Excelsior Plan.
In addition...
Comptroller Phillips Empowers Women
 Nassau County’s first female Comptroller, Elaine Phillips, works with groups of girls and women to promote female empowerment. Among her activities in 2023 were (clockwise from top left): Helping Daisy Scouts of Girl Scout Troop 1848 earn their Government Badge; speaking at a Long Beach Women’s Empowerment event hosted by Deputy County Executive, Health & Human Services Anissa Moore; teaching self-defense at the Nassau County Department of Youth Services 4C’s Girls Summit; discussing financial management with the St. John's Women Investor's Club; empowering Girl Scouts of America Troop 1283 to harness their strength and voices; and talking about how to run for elected office with women of the Theta Iota Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Responding to Constituents
When the City of Glen Cove came to the Comptroller with a report that showed the City had overpaid the County by over $1.5 million in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) over a 10-year period from 2010 to 2021, the Comptroller listened, investigated and resolved the problem. With the support of County Executive Blakeman and approval by the Nassau County Legislature, refunds totaling $1,583,000 were delivered to the City of Glen Cove and the Glen Cove School District.
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The Comptroller continues to bring government to the people, meeting with community civic and business groups to inform them about important fiscal issues and hear and address their concerns.
All of these accomplishments are in addition to the work the Comptroller’s Office does year-round – reviewing thousands of contracts and reviewing and approving approximately 100,000 payments to more than 3,800 registered vendors, administering payroll and health benefits, and publishing six annual reports:
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- The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR)
- Single Audit of Federal and State Grants
- Mid-year Report on Nassau County’s Financial Condition
- Review of the Proposed Budget and Multi-Year Plan
- The NYS Annual Update Document which includes the data that creates the NYS Comptroller’s Fiscal Score, and
- The Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR)
Many of these achievements also demonstrate the fiscal stability of Nassau County and the responsible manner in which its finances are being managed. The County has experienced four years of operating surpluses and is on track to close 2023 with a surplus as well.
The need for the control period imposed by the Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA) has clearly passed, as the County no longer meets any of the five criteria that could justify it. By virtue of the legislation that created NIFA, its oversight of the County will not end until all debt it has issued is paid off, but the control period – which ties the hands of your elected officials to govern independently – is unwarranted. You can read more about that here.
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