Library district gets clean bill in audit

A state audit has found no significant problems in the financial management of the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library.

The audit — part of state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s effort to examine thousands of taxing districts across New York — concluded that the library district had sufficient procedures to avoid making unauthorized or improper payments for goods and services.

“Library officials have established adequate controls over the claims processing function that allow claims to be audited in a timely manner and ensure the claims are properly supported,” executive deputy comptroller Andrew A. SanFilippo wrote.

The three-page report noted that auditors discovered unspecified “minor deficiencies” in the library’s financial controls.

Library director Kerri Rosalia said the deficiencies concerned employees who routinely carry cash from one library section to another without recording the transactions. She said auditors suggested instituting a system of receipts to track the exchanges.

“We are reviewing that,” Rosalia said.

The library has an annual budget of about $9 million, employs 200 people and maintains a collection of 777,774 books, magazines, periodicals and e-books, Rosalia said. Visits last year increased to 299,104, up 7.3 percent from the previous year, she said.