Comptroller: Village of Andover remains in "moderate fiscal stress"

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli's Fiscal Stress Monitoring System has designated 25 municipalities across the state as fiscally stressed. This year's list, which includes ten counties, six cities and nine towns, marks the third-straight decline in the overall number of municipalities listed in stress. The number of local governments considered to be in "significant fiscal stress," however, more than doubled over the prior year.
"Fewer local governments are considered fiscally stressed, but those with persistent financial problems are struggling to stay out of the red and fix their problems," said DiNapoli. "While the results may be encouraging in some areas, there are municipalities that should focus on near-term financial risks and implement more prudent long-term planning."
The latest round of scores is based on 2017 financial information provided to DiNapoli's office by local governments as of Sept. 5, 2018 and includes only municipalities with fiscal years ending on Dec. 31, 2017. In New York, all counties and towns, 44 cities and 10 villages have a calendar-based fiscal year – a total of 1,043 communities.
Of the municipalities with a Dec. 31, 2017 fiscal year end, the counties of Nassau, Monroe, Suffolk and Westchester; the cities of Niagara Falls, Poughkeepsie and Watervliet; and the towns of German Flatts, Oyster Bay and Parish have received the highest designation of "significant fiscal stress."
Six communities have been listed in the second-highest category of "moderate fiscal stress." This includes: Franklin and Rockland Counties; and the cities of Albany and Plattsburgh.
An additional nine municipalities have been listed as "susceptible to fiscal stress." These are: the counties of Broome, Clinton, Erie and Onondaga; the city of Fulton; and the towns of Clarkstown, Covert, Dayton and Elmira.