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New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. released an audit today that found that the City Civil Service Commission generally adhered to City’s rules regarding payroll, personnel, and purchasing procedures during Fiscal Year 2007.

“My auditors determined that the City Civil Service Commission was largely in compliance with all appropriate rules,” Thompson said. “While I am pleased that the Commission was following the rules, I encourage it to take steps to further improve its purchasing practices.”

The City Civil Service Commission is a quasi-judicial body that hears appeals from both disciplinary actions and from civil service employment decisions as the guardian of the City’s merit system. The Commission has five Commissioners, each appointed by the Mayor for a six-year term, and five employees.

The audit – which can be viewed at www.comptroller.nyc.gov –found that the Commission generally complied with all City rules, but had minor weaknesses in regards to its purchasing practices.

Thompson’s auditors found that all employees receiving pay were bona fide and those receiving paychecks signed for them. Employee salaries were within the salary ranges of their civil service titles and employees did not carry excess leave. Additionally, Commissioners and all employees received conflict of interest training.

The audit also revealed that the Commission ensured that purchases were legitimate and necessary for its operations, properly accounted for, authorized, charged to the proper object codes and properly solicited. Further, physical assets were found on-site and tagged as property of the Commission and inventory records were kept.

However, auditors found minor weaknesses: the Commission did not prepare purchase documents prior to the purchase of goods and services, did not document that purchased goods were received, and did not pay for purchases promptly.

Thompson recommended that the Commission: create a purchase document before the purchase of goods and services; create one purchase document at the beginning of the fiscal year to encumber funds for services that will be periodically billed by one vendor; ensure that receiving documentation for goods are certified and placed in procurement files prior to making payments to vendors; and make payments to vendors within 30 days from the receipt of an invoice. The Commission agreed with all four recommendations.

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