NYSSCPA Considers CPE for Local Government Auditing
Nassau County Comptroller Supports Idea

From the beginning of his term as Nassau County Comptroller, Howard Weitzman has worked to improve the technical and professional competence of his staff, even mandating minimum professional development requirements for all of his auditors. The problem, however, is that it’s been difficult for the comptroller’s office to find appropriate training opportunities for them.

In light of the financial scandals that have occurred across several New York state school districts, the New York State Society of CPAs currently is considering developing educational courses for members and other professionals who are involved in local government auditing. The Society believes this sort of training could help ensure that local government audits satisfactorily meet all professional standards and that public revenue is properly accounted for and safeguarded. The NYSSCPA also feels that continuing professional education in this area could help fill a specialized expertise gap that currently exists throughout different parts of the state.

“I’d love to see the New York State Society take the lead in that,” said Weitzman, who feels that additional training in local government auditing could be very beneficial. He noted that New York’s large suburban counties have CPA firms with sufficient expertise in school audits, but he said it’s a difficult issue in many rural counties that lack experts in that area of auditing.

The Society is also considering modifying its current committee structure to focus more on municipality and county government auditing and accounting issues. For a state that is well known for its large villages and towns, Weitzman said this initiative could be useful. In particular, he recommended the development of a subcommittee that would concentrate on schools, perhaps even working with the state comptroller and State Education Department on enhanced standards for school audits.