The village has already begun implementing changes in order to solve the problems the audit uncovered, and is planning to adopt all of the recommendations it made. That includes written policies for accepting and handling cash receipts, creating user codes for employees, instituting internal controls at the Rec Center for the handling of transactions, defining oversight responsibilities for cash receipts and ensuring that deposits are made each day and properly documented.

“We have additional employees who are involved in the cash collection process, we have supervisors who are signing off every day and the deposits of cash are being done quicker,” Schussheim said. “We’re going to change the cash register as well.”

According to the audit, the village also needs to improve its management of information technology system. Backups of village systems are not stored in other locations, as is the usual practice, but rather at Village Hall.

In a letter written in response to the audit, Mayor Francis Murray said that the village was looking into securing not only an off-site backup, but also cloud storage. The village is also exploring the possibility of server virtualization, which would enable staff members to access village servers in different locations.

“Ultimately, John Peters” — the village’s director of information technology — “has to tell us what can and cannot be done, as well as the financial consideration,” said Schussheim. “It could become very expensive, so we have to look at that as well.”

He added that, whatever sort of backup system the village implements, it will definitely develop a disaster recovery plan, ideally by July 1.

“So, given a very thorough initial assessment that was conducted of overall village controls,” Schussheim said, “to determine that there were only two areas that required further examination, in our opinion, supported our belief that, overall, internal controls in the village are very, very good.”