Did Harrietstown officials really lose 4,000 gallons of gas at the Adirondack airport?
A scathing report from New York state’s Comptroller, issued Tuesday, claims that Harrietstown officials mismanaged capital projects and bungled the accounting for fuel sales at the Adirondack Regional Airport in Lake Clear.
One of the conclusions in the document is that town officials “could not account for” nearly three thousand gallons of Jet A fuel, and another thousand gallons of aviation grade gasoline, with a cash value totaling roughly $15,000.
The Comptroller study also found lax oversight for millions of dollars worth of capital projects.
“At a time when local governments should be paying even closer attention to their finances, our audit identified numerous financial missteps that went undetected for many years,” DiNapoli said, in a press statement.
His office went on to argue that mismanagement of airport projects left a $200,000 “hole” in the town’s general fund.
In a letter written in mid-December, Harrietstown supervisor Larry Miller acknowledged that “discrepancies existed” in fuel tank inventories.
But he blamed problems with the set up of the fuel tanks and suggested that temperature changes at the site might also have affected the measurements.
Miller conceded that changes needed to be made. “The Town Board acknowledges that airport management did not keep inventory records for unleaded gas and diesel fuels and understands the necessity to do so,” Miller wrote.
Management was a major issue during last November’s budget session in Harrietstown, according to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.
Several speakers lamented that the Adirondack Regional Airport has become too big a drain on town taxpayers. The Lake Clear airport’s budget for 2012 is over $2 million and will cost taxpayers about $273,600.
Supporters of the airport say it generates millions of dollars worth of economic benefit for the Adirondack region, and they point to growing ridership on Cape Air’s commuter flights.
This Comptroller’s report is sure to revive the debate over the airport, its value to the community, its management, and its future.
Tags: adirondacks, politics, transportation
If the low and middle income people of Harrietstown wont fund the airport where will all the rich people land their planes? If you want rich people you’ve got to provide them services that ordinary people can’t afford to use. It’s the American way.
$273,600 is a good deal. The tax base relies heavily on a number of high paying properties that would have far less value without an airport. Ever been near that airport at the end of a long weekend. It is private jet city! If they lose that airport the area will suffer.
The low and middle income people don’t fund the airport like you describe just look at the tax rolls.
Anyone check the tanks for leaks?
I think Paul has a good point (!). But Harrietstown bears the brunt of operating costs, while others counties and towns esp. LP-North Elba, get a free ride from airport-generated business.
The Town Board talked about closing the airport, but would apparently have to pay the Feds back for the subsidies they’ve been for it. So, it would be more expensive to close it than keep it open.
I feel bad about the fuel issue. Larry Miller is a good guy, and does his best for the Town. The airport is a lot to manage on top of regular Town business.
If it generates such high economic activity then perhaps it’s time to hire someone with the skills and expertise to manage it. Including an annual audit and an honest effort to deal with any discrepancies such an audit may indicate.
The Watertown International airport is owned by Jefferson County but they employ skilled airport administrators to actually run it. Since the Lake Clear airport is also highly subsidized, and apparently generates economic activity, pay for an administrator out of those funds.
So big deal the comptrollers office issued a “scathing” report. Big Deal, they also issued a “scathing” report on the Town of Tupper Lake for a whole host of fiscal issues and uncorrected conditons from a previous audit.(in June 2010) And NOTHING has been done about it. Not another word from the Comptrollers office, OOOOOHHH Be afraid, be very afraid. Yeah right.
who got free jet fuel?…another perk for the rich apparently.
Don’t worry about the airport budget, just hang in there because the ACR will be getting its’ APA permit next week. Then you’ll see throngs of rich people fighting over Great Camp lots and of course they will all be flying in on their private jets loaded with cash. Then the town of Tupper Lake will be drowning in tax revenue and of course they won’t mind giving a couple hundred thousand to support the airport, after all most of those millionaires will be coming to Tupper Lake. Hang in there Harrrietstown, the ACR and Tupper Lake will come to your financial rescue.
Z – sarcasm?
Sarcasm? No I’ve just been reading the TL Free Press.
Ah, that would account for it!
These Great Camp Lots are for the 1% right? They have lots of extra money lying around right? If the 1% is doing as well as the OWS folks claim Mr. Foxman shouldn’t have any trouble.
Paul, you seriously doubt that the 1% have plenty of ready cash?
The ACR’s problem is, when you’ve got so much disposable income, there’s just so many places to spend it.
The average annual income of the top 1% is $960,000, and their average net worth is just shy of $14 million.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/10/20/news/economy/occupy_wall_street_income/index.htm
http://dkl3fnj1o5loa.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/top-1-percent-of-wealth-united-states.png