The former Cato town clerk and tax collector deposited millions of dollars in property tax collections late and delayed nearly $883,000 in required remittances to the town supervisor, a state audit found.
The audit covered January 2023 through February 2026 and examined collections totaling nearly $6 million, according to the state comptroller's office.
Auditors said the former clerk generally recorded and reported collections accurately but did not meet deposit and remittance deadlines under state Town Law.
Of 4,952 property tax collections reviewed, 2,486 totaling about $2.8 million were deposited one to 30 days late. State law requires property tax collections to be deposited within 24 hours.
The former clerk also delayed six payments totaling $882,715 to the supervisor. The audit said initial remittances in each of the three years reviewed were not made until the third week of collections.
Auditors also found 1,033 clerk fee collections totaling $53,609 were deposited one to 19 days late after the amount on hand exceeded the legal threshold.
The former clerk served until April 4, 2025. Town officials generally agreed with recommendations to deposit and remit collections within legal deadlines and said corrective action was planned.
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