Welcome to the Office of Suffolk County Comptroller
The latest episode of the Long Island Business Report, a half-hour weekly business series on WLIW21 in New York, airs WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3rd at 7 p.m., with encore presentations on THURSDAY, APRIL 4th at 11:30 p.m., and SUNDAY, APRIL 7th at 9:30 a.m.
Host Jim Paymar interviews Joseph Sawicki Jr., Suffolk County Comptroller. The Comptroller discusses the financial issues impacting the county coffers, how to claw back county funds gained fraudulently and his bold proposal to have Long Island become its own state, which he says would save the region billions of dollars a year.
If you can't watch the episodes on TV, watch the Long Island Business Report on the web at http://www.wliw.org/libr.
Hello! Welcome to the Online Office of the County Comptroller. I am Joseph Sawicki, Jr., your Suffolk County Comptroller.
The primary mission of the Comptroller’s office is to ensure that County funds are expended in compliance with all prescribed laws, rules and regulations mandated by the State Comptroller, Local Laws and the Suffolk County Charter.
I guarantee my office will provide quality auditing of County government-related agencies. Since I was elected to this office from January 1, 2003 through December 2012, we have uncovered $20.2 million in audit findings. $9.9 million has been repaid by these entities audited and returned to the County general fund which benefits you – the County taxpayers. In addition $2.2 million has been recovered in property.
I am dedicated to promoting the fiscal stability of Suffolk County’s credit rating. While Suffolk County borrows money from federal and state agencies on a quarterly basis for various projects, a higher credit rating means lower interest rates, which in turn saves money for the County across the board. We strive to earn the best bond ratings from Wall Street’s most respected agencies.
It is also imperative that the Comptroller’s Office produce and maintain quality financial statements. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has awarded Suffolk County the Certificate of Achievement for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. (CAFR) This award has been maintained for the past 29 consecutive years.
Do you or your child wish to take college courses at an out-of-county college? Visit my Certificate of Residence section, where your questions on how to obtain a certificate necessary to offset the out-of-county double tuition for such courses, are answered. My staff is available to answer any questions you may have regarding this topic.
Thank you for electing me as your County Comptroller this past November 2010. In my third term, the Office of the Comptroller remains dedicated to all residents and acts as a fiscal watchdog in making sure your County dollars are accounted for and spent properly. Best Personal Regards.
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Accomplishments
Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting
The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting has been awarded by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada to Comptroller Joseph Sawicki for each year he has held office. This award recognizes governments that go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports that achieve a higher level of transparency and full disclosure.
In 2008 Comptroller Joseph Sawicki issued the County’s first Popular Annual Financial Report. This report has been designed to extract information from the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and present it in a format easily understandable to the general public and other interested parties without a background in public finance. The Comptroller has received the Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award each year since 2008.
New York State Elected County Comptrollers’ Association (NYSECCA)
Comptroller Sawicki is a member of the New York State Elected County Comptrollers’ Association (NYSECCA), a non-partisan collaboration committed to protecting the integrity and independence of their oversight role in county government.
Elected comptrollers are charged with independent oversight of governmental operations. There are eight elected county comptrollers in New York State and together they ensure their “watchdog” status in providing the most effective services to their constituencies. The eight comptrollers are committed to promoting the efficient and effective use of government resources.
Audit Findings and Recovered Property and Funds
For the period January 1, 2003. through August 25, 2010, audits conducted by Comptroller Joseph Sawicki, Jr. total $12.6 million in audit findings; $10.4 million of which are monetary findings and $2.2 million are recovered property. $7.6 million has been repaid by the auditees and returned to the County.