State audit cites Hewlett Bay fire district contracts

A state comptroller's office audit of the Hewlett Bay Fire District found district officials failed to solicit competitive bids for $150,000 in contracts and should seek outside bids for work being sought.

The fire district serves 15,000 residents in the Five Towns area of the Town of Hempstead. It is controlled by a five-member board of fire commissioners, which operates a $1.78 million budget.

The comptroller's office found during an audit from January 2013 to February 2014 that eight of nine projects totaling $150,800 for accounting services, insurance and investment management, and other fire district business were not submitted for competitive bids. Four of the projects were not completed with written contracts.

The board of commissioners was also faulted for not having a policy for information technology technical services.

In addition to competitive bidding, the comptroller's office recommended written documentation of business transactions.

District officials said they would comply with the comptroller's recommendations, according to the audit released last week.