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Receiver of taxes says two bounced checks were fixed; board presses for system flag after forensic report
Summary
Receiver Venita told the Greenburgh Town Board two bounced checks missed because a former accountant were resolved after homeowners remitted payment; board members urged a system change to flag returned checks on first bounce after auditors’ forensic report flagged the risk of dishonored payments staying marked as paid.
Venita, the town's receiver of taxes, told the board the forensic report identified two missed bounced payments that she traced to a former staff accountant and said both homeowners submitted replacement payments promptly after being contacted. "As soon as Jonathan found them, I contacted the homeowners, and the homeowners sent in the checks," Venita said.
Board members pressed for clarity on the office's procedure for returned checks, concerned that redepositing a first bounce without reversing the applied payment can make the public tax system appear to show a tax as paid when it is not. A committee member suggested a change to the system: "As soon as that check bounced...that should have been reversed out," the member said, arguing the current redeposit practice creates a misleading paid-status until a second bounce reopens the item.
Kimberly, who responded for the controller's office during the discussion, said auditors and staff have reconciled recent years. "Everything's reconciled for 2025," Kimberly stated when asked about the ledger reconciliation. Staff also reported 2024 was reviewed and reconciled, and auditors had reviewed 2023 as part of the forensic scope.
Venita outlined the practical steps her office uses: when a check returns the first time the office redeposits it in good faith; if it returns a second time the payment is reopened and the taxpayer must submit a new payment and may be assessed a $20 returned-check fee and, if applicable, penalties in the following month. She said the office notifies taxpayers by mailed letter and returns the check to them with the current balance due.
Board members and staff agreed the tangible next step is process improvement: instituting a visible flag or tickler so returned checks are highlighted on first bounce and so the receiver's office gets prompt notification from the comptroller's accounting flow. The board also discussed asking the New York State Comptroller for an opinion about systemic issues highlighted in the forensic report.
The board did not take a formal vote on any change during the session; staff were asked to develop options for a reporting/notification fix and to bring recommendations back to the board.
