Audit faults Buildings on self-certification program

Comptroller found that Buildings did not audit requisite percentage of professionally certified building permit applications. City Comptroller John C. Liu issued an audit report on Buildings’ compliance with its rules governing the internal auditing of professionally certified building applications. The audit found, among other things, that Buildings audited a “significantly lower” number of applications than required, and that Buildings’ borough offices in Brooklyn and Queens failed to fully review certain audit applications.

The professional certification … <Read More>


Audit cites EDC for Water Club’s lease violations

EDC faulted: Comptroller found waterfront restaurant violated lease’s revenue- reporting and site-improvement requirements. An audit by City Comptroller John C. Liu concluded that MDO Development Corporation violated its lease agreement for a City-owned site occupied by the Water Club restaurant along the East River between East 30th and 32nd Streets in Manhattan. The audit found, among other things, that MDO did not accurately report revenue from the restaurant and failed to make required site improvements. … <Read More>


Audit faults Buildings on enforcement procedures

Audit found inadequate follow-up on violations; DOB to implement most, if not all,of Comptroller’s recommendations. City Comptroller William C. Thompson issued an audit report on Buildings’ handling of Building Code and other violations. The audit determined that Buildings’ follow-up efforts on violations were insufficient, not only because of program deficiencies, but also because Buildings lacked the authority to re-inspect flagged sites without a warrant and to compel property owners to remedy violations. As a result, … <Read More>


Audit cites EDC for major violations of E. River lease

Comptroller asserts that insufficient oversight could cost City $6.1 million. A June 2008 audit by City Comptroller William C. Thompson concluded that New York Skyports, Inc. violated its lease agreement for a two-acre City-owned East River site, creating a potential cost of $6.1 million to the City.

Originally executed with the Gulf Oil Corp in 1959, the lease allowed the construction of a parking garage over the East River and the additional use of the … <Read More>


City Comptroller audit faults HPD program

Problems found in HPD’s administration, inspections, audits and cost calculation for tax abatement program. On March 22, 2007, City Comptroller William C. Thompson issued an audit report on the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s implementation of a tax abatement program, the J-51 Tax Incentive Program. The audit found problems with HPD’s handling of the program, specifically concluding that errors in cost calculations led to improper awards of tax benefits and incorrect fee assessments.

The … <Read More>


Comptroller Reveals that Half of Privately Owned Public Spaces, Including Three Trump Properties, Were In Violation of Law

Comptroller’s audit finds that the City has fallen substantially short in its duty of overseeing Privately Owned Public Space agreements, including agreements with Trump Tower, Trump International Hotel, and Trump Plaza. On April 18, 2017, the Office of the City Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report of an audit of how adequately the City oversees Privately Owned Public Space agreements with developers and building owners. Privately Owned Public Space agreements are created by developers in … <Read More>