"Building Yonkers By Building Business Relationships"
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"Building Yonkers By Building Business Relationships" |
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Exiting Yonkers inspector general urges oversight, mergers By Phil Zisman Former Yonkers Inspector General February 15, 2010 Mayor Phil Amicone and the new City Council have appointed a new inspector general for the City of Yonkers. This was not unexpected. After serving 12 years as inspector general, tensions arose between me and the mayor over my office's independence, and the scope and content of our investigations and audits. It is the role of the inspector general to critique the performance of the city's and school district's administrations, and my critical findings and recommendations were not always welcomed. In parting, I want to express what an honor it has been to serve the people of the City of Yonkers, and I am proud of the accomplishments of my office and our small, dedicated staff. In the city, we exposed abuses of overtime and the improper use of take- home city vehicles and city gasoline. We also made numerous recommendations as to how the government could be improved and made more efficient. In the school district, we exposed the cronyism of a former superintendent of schools, who resigned and pleaded guilty to perjury; revealed the extent of cheating on standardized tests to inflate student test scores; and highlighted the need for more transparency within the Board of Education. Perhaps most significantly, under my leadership, the office became a recognized force dedicated to eliminating fraud, waste and abuse, and promoting open and honest government. In light of the recent indictment of former City Council member Sandy Annabi, it is clear that Yonkers' elected and appointed officials must work diligently to restore the public trust and repair the damage to our city's reputation. The new inspector general must play a central role in this effort. Certainly, the IG should continue to rigorously investigate allegations of corruption and employee misconduct. In addition, the recession and mounting budget deficits require that the IG aggressively seek to expose and eliminate wasteful and abusive administrative practices. In this regard, I recommend three important areas for continued IG oversight: • First, the IG must work to ensure the integrity of the city's payroll. Salaries and fringe benefits make up approximately 69 percent of the city's annual operating budget of $439 million. Under the current system, departments essentially pay themselves, with little external oversight. The city should move to a centralized payroll system, and the Inspector General's Office must continue to audit the accuracy of payments of overtime, sick and annual leave. The critical need for this oversight is underscored by the fact that in 2008, 40 Yonkers Police and Fire Department employees earned more than $200,000 in salary and overtime. In many instances, overtime payments exceeded base salaries. In 2007, my office, exposed significant abuses in the administration of police overtime, and recommended that the administration create an overtime review board to oversee all departments' payments of overtime. This recommendation was not implemented. If overtime expenses are to be controlled, the administration must proactively review and manage these escalating costs. • Second, the Inspector General must continue to call for the Yonkers Board of Education to submit to appropriate, independent audits by the IG. For many years, my office worked productively with a succession of superintendents of schools in conducting performance audits of school district operations. For the past two years, however, the Board of Education has refused to cooperate with us. The board's deliberate efforts to thwart the IG have raised serious questions about the board's legitimacy. Continued pressure must be put on the board to change its policy to ensure integrity and transparency in the district's administrative operations. • Third, there are duplicative and inefficient operations within the city that should be restructured. To name just a few: the city and the school district could combine purchasing, finance and personnel departments; separate fleet operations within the city's police, parks and public works departments could be consolidated; and the Parking Authority could be merged with the Parking Violations Bureau. The city should also consider privatizing the skating rink and the rifle range. The Inspector General's Office should conduct audits that analyze the budgetary impacts of these and other possible consolidations to lay the foundation for restructuring. Clearly, there is much important work for the new Yonkers inspector general, and I wish him success. As I leave city government, I know that under my stewardship, the Yonkers Inspector General's Office became a much needed voice for efficient, honest and transparent government. I certainly hope the new IG continues this important mission. |
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