DUNKIRK, N.Y. (WKBW) — On Tuesday, the City of Dunkirk’s Treasurer’s Office was closed at the direction of the State Comptroller’s Office.
This decision was made to preserve critical documents contained within the office as part of an ongoing investigation.
Mayor Kate Wdowiasz said that concerns over non-standard accounting practices brought to her attention led to the involvement of the State Comptroller’s Office.
“Practices were made to my attention that weren’t necessarily standard accounting practices due to policies and procedures that I implemented at the end of the year last year, and they were very concerning,” Wdowiasz said. “The office of the State Comptroller felt it was necessary to involve additional parties into their investigation.”
In response to the investigation, the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office arrived at the Treasurer’s Office with a Grand Jury subpoena and the police department assisted with the shutdown.
At this time, Mayor Wdowiasz confirmed that information is still limited due to the active nature of the investigation.
It remains unclear if the issues at the Treasurer’s Office are linked to the city’s financial struggles, including the 84 % property tax hike approved by lawmakers in December to cover a $5.6 million deficit.
“I know that the city’s finances have been a huge topic of conversation for the last year, and we will get through this,” Wdowiasz said. “I am pushing to implement new software so that we have reports and accurate accounting measures available to us on a daily basis.”
City Councilman-at-Large Nick Weiser said he doesn't the city's deficit is related to this ongoing investigation, he added he has been closely monitoring the city's finances since the year and had he has been working for the city to ensure accountability and transparency.
However, he believes that the city should consider appointing, rather than electing, the treasurer.
“We are among one percent of municipalities in New York state that has an elected treasurer position, I think we need to call for charter reform and look to get that converted to an appointed treasurer position, so we can ensure whoever is in that office has the minimal qualifications required by New York state civil service,” Weiser said.
Councilwoman Natalie Luczkowiak has also called for greater transparency in the city’s budget process.
“I would like our budget to be as transparent as possible and to know where every single cent is going,” Luczkowiak said.
As the investigation continues, Wdowiasz assured that the city will provide more information when it becomes available.
