Rotterdam Town Supervisor John Polimeni is asking the New York State Comptroller and Attorney General for a "deep dive investigative audit" of the last eight years of the town's finances.
"Some of the numbers that I'm seeing, some of the things in terms of contracts I'm seeing, I find deeply disturbing, and it adds significantly to the cost of the town," Polimeni, who became supervisor in January, said in an interview.
Polimeni's comments come as the town prepares to tackle a $450,000 budget deficit this budget cycle, down for $1.4 million at the start of the year. Rotterdam reduced that deficit figure partly by conducting fire inspections and keeping vacant positions unfilled.
Polimeni, who became supervisor in January, is proposing to bridge that gap in part by raising the tax levy by 34%.
Healthcare and other costs are going up for Rotterdam (and all other municipalities), but Polimeni says his predecessor's budgeting practices are largely to blame for the deficit.
WAMC has reached out to former Rotterdam Town Supervisor Mollie Collins for comment.
Mollie Collins' husband, Clark Collins, is running against Polimeni and has criticized his budget proposal.
"This is a tax and spend budget that will be paid for by all residents," Clark Collins wrote in a Facebook post. "I have been a lifelong conservative, and this budget reflects a Democrat approach to government. No taxpayer is going to afford a 34% tax increase in such hard economic times."
The New York State Comptroller released an audit of Rotterdam's financial records from 2024. That report found that Rotterdam's comptroller failed to record nearly $1 million in cash receipts and didn't provide monthly budget updates to the town board.
"They did the audit. It was not a deep dive audit," Polimeni said of the comptroller's audit. "It was kind of superficial: 'here's the things that you need to address.' We've come up with a plan to address those. That plan has been submitted."
