States, Cities and Counties
Here's a look at documents covering state government, cities and counties
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N.Y. State Comptroller Audit: Village of Asharoken - Claims Audit and Treasurer's Duties
ALBANY, New York, March 15 (TNSLrpt) -- The office of the New York State Comptroller issued the following audit report (2025M-82) on March 6, 2026, entitled "Village of Asharoken - Claims Audit and Treasurer's Duties."
Here are excerpts:
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Audit Objective
Did the Village of Asharoken (Village) Board of Trustees (Board) ensure that non-payroll disbursements were properly audited and the Village Treasurer's (Treasurer) financial duties were monitored?
Audit Period
June 1, 2023 - December 6, 2024
Understanding the Audit Area
The audit of claims is often the last line of defense for preventing
... Show Full Article
ALBANY, New York, March 15 (TNSLrpt) -- The office of the New York State Comptroller issued the following audit report (2025M-82) on March 6, 2026, entitled "Village of Asharoken - Claims Audit and Treasurer's Duties."
Here are excerpts:
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Audit Objective
Did the Village of Asharoken (Village) Board of Trustees (Board) ensure that non-payroll disbursements were properly audited and the Village Treasurer's (Treasurer) financial duties were monitored?
Audit Period
June 1, 2023 - December 6, 2024
Understanding the Audit Area
The audit of claims is often the last line of defense for preventingunauthorized, improper or fraudulent claims from being paid. When a local government has a strong claims auditing process, the control consciousness of its staff is enhanced because officers and employees are aware that a careful review of claims will occur before public funds are disbursed. Because it is the Board's responsibility to ensure tax dollars are spent properly, efficiently and in the best interest of taxpayers, the Board should conduct a thorough and deliberate audit of all claims before authorizing a claim to be paid, ensure strong internal controls are established and working as intended and monitor the Treasurer's financial duties.
During the audit period, the Village processed a total of 685 non-payroll disbursements totaling approximately $2.36 million and performed 78 bank transfers totaling approximately $7.1 million.
Audit Summary
The Board did not always conduct a thorough and deliberate audit of each individual claim for non-payroll disbursements we reviewed because the claims presented for audit did not always include the necessary supporting documentation. As a result, there is an increased risk that the Village may pay more than necessary or that improper claims could be paid without being detected, irregularities could go undetected and unauthorized claims could be paid. The Board's failure to monitor and review bank reconciliations and bank transfers prepared by the Treasurer and user account activity reports increased the risk of unauthorized or inappropriate transactions going undetected. Furthermore, the Board did not ensure that users did not share access to the financial software. With shared access, accountability is diminished, and any questionable system activity may not be traceable to a specific user.
The Board did not ensure that all non-payroll disbursements were properly audited. We reviewed 232 disbursements totaling $877,625 and although these disbursements were all for valid and appropriate Village purposes, we determined that 51 disbursements totaling $69,707 were not properly audited. These 51 disbursements included 52 discrepancies1 such as invoices and vouchers not attached to claim packets, vouchers missing signatures, late fees, and disbursements missing from listings of claims that had no evidence of being audited by the Board. Additionally, four disbursements to the financial software vendor totaling $2,136 were withdrawn directly from the Village's bank account by the vendor, of which three of the disbursements totaling $1,539 were not audited by the Board.
In addition, we reviewed all 19 listings of claims, totaling $2.34 million of disbursements, and determined that 18 listings did not include check numbers and check dates. The Board also adopted resolutions to approve disbursements, and all 19 resolutions included the dollar amount. However, 14 of the resolutions did not specify the range of check numbers.
Although the Board provided some compensating controls for the Treasurer's financial duties, the Board did not adequately monitor the Treasurer's financial duties by:
* Reviewing bank reconciliations performed by the Treasurer, as required by Village policy,
* Reviewing bank transfers, and
* Ensuring that each financial software user had their own access.
After we brought these matters to the attention of the Mayor, Clerk and Treasurer in August 2024, officials implemented changes to their claims audit process, monitoring disbursements and financial software user account access. However, we subsequently identified ongoing issues such as invoices missing from claims packets, late fees being incurred and paid, and bank reconciliations not being reviewed.
The report includes eight recommendations that, if implemented, will improve the Board's auditing of claims and oversight of the disbursements process. Village officials disagreed with certain aspects of our findings but indicated they plan to initiate corrective action. Appendix C includes our comments on issues raised in the Village's response letter.
We conducted this audit pursuant to Article V, Section 1 of the State Constitution and the State Comptroller's authority as set forth in Article 3 of the New York State General Municipal Law (GML). Our methodology and standards are included in Appendix D.
The Board has the responsibility to initiate corrective action. A written corrective action plan (CAP) that addresses the findings and recommendations in this report should be prepared and provided to our office within 90 days, pursuant to Section 35 of GML. For more information on preparing and filing your CAP, please refer to our brochure, Responding to an OSC Audit Report, which you received with the draft audit report. We encourage the Board to make the CAP available for public review in the Village Clerk's office.
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The report is posted at: https://www.osc.ny.gov/files/local-government/audits/2026/pdf/asharoken-village-2025-82.pdf
N.Y. State Comptroller Audit: Town of Marathon - Transparency of Fiscal Activities
ALBANY, New York, March 15 (TNSLrpt) -- The office of the New York State Comptroller issued the following audit report (S9-25-21) on March 13, 2026, entitled "Town of Marathon - Transparency of Fiscal Activities."
Here are excerpts:
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Audit Objective
Did the Town of Marathon (Town) Board (Board) conduct or provide for an annual audit of the Town Supervisor's (Supervisor) financial records and reports, and did the Supervisor file the Annual Financial Report (AFR) with the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) as required?
Audit Period
January 1, 2024 - April 24, 2025
We extended our observation
... Show Full Article
ALBANY, New York, March 15 (TNSLrpt) -- The office of the New York State Comptroller issued the following audit report (S9-25-21) on March 13, 2026, entitled "Town of Marathon - Transparency of Fiscal Activities."
Here are excerpts:
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Audit Objective
Did the Town of Marathon (Town) Board (Board) conduct or provide for an annual audit of the Town Supervisor's (Supervisor) financial records and reports, and did the Supervisor file the Annual Financial Report (AFR) with the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) as required?
Audit Period
January 1, 2024 - April 24, 2025
We extended our observationof annual AFR filings forward to November 28, 2025, and back to fiscal year 2022.
Understanding the Audit Area
To help promote transparency, a town board should conduct a thorough and sufficiently detailed audit of the town supervisor's records to determine whether the accounting records are properly maintained, as well as that reports are complete and accurate. Furthermore, in light of a town board's responsibility to oversee the general management and control of the town's finances, the town board should also help ensure that the town supervisor annually prepares, files and makes the AFR available to the public.
With a population of 2,038, Town officials budgeted a total of $1.1 million for the general fund and highway fund appropriations in fiscal year 2024 to provide essential services to the public, such as general government support, street maintenance and improvement, snow removal and fire protection.
Audit Summary
The Board did not conduct or provide for an annual audit of the Supervisor's financial records and reports for fiscal year 2024 in accordance with New York State (NYS) Town Law (Town Law). In addition, as shown in Figure 1, the Supervisor did not prepare and file the 2023 and 2024 AFRs with OSC, as required by NYS General Municipal Law (GML) Section 30. Furthermore, the Supervisor did not properly maintain financial information recorded in the accounting records and did not provide the Board with complete monthly financial reports.
Had the Board received the complete monthly reports and conducted an annual audit of the Supervisor's books, records and documents, it may have identified and potentially helped remedy these issues. Without complete, accurate and reliable financial information, the Board cannot effectively monitor the Town's financial position and available fund balance to make informed decisions. Because the Board and Supervisor did not fulfill their statutory responsibilities, transparency of the Town's fiscal condition was diminished, as Town residents, taxpayers, OSC and other interested parties did not have access to the Town's current fiscal activities.
Based on our review of the Supervisor's records, we determined that the Supervisor, assisted by his part-time appointed bookkeeper, did not:
* Record the dates he collected cash receipts. This increased the risk that Town funds could be lost, stolen or misappropriated, as we were unable to determine whether the Supervisor made timely deposits after collection.
* Properly reconcile bank accounts and cash records, or properly maintain financial information recorded in the accounting records, which undermined the Board's general responsibility to oversee the Town's financial operations and safeguard Town resources.
* Provide the Board with bank reconciliations or trial balance reports,1 hindering its ability to monitor the Town's financial affairs throughout the year.
This report includes 10 recommendations that, if implemented, will improve the Town's financial reporting and help the Board and Supervisor improve the transparency of their fiscal activities. Town officials generally agreed with our findings and indicated they plan to initiate corrective action. We conducted this audit pursuant to Article V, Section 1 of the State Constitution and the State Comptroller's authority as set forth in Article 3 of GML. Our methodology and standards are included in Appendix C.
The Board has the responsibility to initiate corrective action. A written corrective action plan (CAP) that addresses the findings and recommendations in this report must be prepared and provided to our office within 90 days, pursuant to Section 35 of GML. For more information on preparing and filing your CAP, please refer to our brochure, Responding to an OSC Audit Report, which you received with the draft audit report. We encourage the Board to make the CAP available for public review in the Town Clerk's (Clerk's) office.
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The report is posted at:
N.Y. State Comptroller Audit: Town of Coventry - Transparency of Fiscal Activities
ALBANY, New York, March 15 (TNSLrpt) -- The office of the New York State Comptroller issued the following audit report (S9-25-32) on March 13, 2026, entitled "Town of Coventry - Transparency of Fiscal Activities."
Here are excerpts:
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Audit Objective
Did the Town of Coventry (Town) Board (Board) conduct or provide for an annual audit of the Town Supervisor's (Supervisor) financial records and reports, and did the Supervisor file the Annual Financial Report (AFR) with the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) as required?
Audit Period
January 1, 2024 - May 1, 2025
We extended our observation
... Show Full Article
ALBANY, New York, March 15 (TNSLrpt) -- The office of the New York State Comptroller issued the following audit report (S9-25-32) on March 13, 2026, entitled "Town of Coventry - Transparency of Fiscal Activities."
Here are excerpts:
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Audit Objective
Did the Town of Coventry (Town) Board (Board) conduct or provide for an annual audit of the Town Supervisor's (Supervisor) financial records and reports, and did the Supervisor file the Annual Financial Report (AFR) with the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) as required?
Audit Period
January 1, 2024 - May 1, 2025
We extended our observationof annual AFR filings forward to November 28, 2025, and back to fiscal year 2021.
Understanding the Audit Area
To help promote transparency, a town board should conduct a thorough and sufficiently detailed audit of the town supervisor's records to determine whether the accounting records are properly maintained, as well as that reports are complete and accurate. Furthermore, in light of a town board's responsibility to oversee the general management and control of the town's finances, the town board should also help ensure that the town supervisor annually prepares, files and makes the AFR available to the public.
With a population of 1,516, Town officials budgeted a total of $1.1 million for the general fund and highway fund appropriations in fiscal year 2024 to provide essential services to the public, such as general government support, street maintenance and improvement, snow removal and fire protection.
Audit Summary
The Board did not conduct or provide for an annual audit of the Supervisor's financial records and reports for fiscal year 2024 in accordance with New York State (NYS) Town Law (Town Law). In addition, as shown in Figure 1, the Supervisor did not prepare and file the 2022 through 2024 AFRs with OSC, as required by NYS General Municipal Law (GML) Section 30. Furthermore, the Supervisor did not ensure debit card purchases were Board-approved, review payroll reports or provide Board members with monthly budget status reports.
Had the Board conducted an annual audit of the Supervisor's books, records and documents, it may have identified and potentially helped remedy these issues. Without complete, accurate and timely financial information, the Board cannot effectively monitor the Town's financial position and available fund balance to make informed decisions. Because the Board and Supervisor did not fulfill their statutory responsibilities, transparency of the Town's fiscal condition was diminished, as Town residents, taxpayers, OSC and other interested parties did not have access to the Town's current fiscal activities.
Based on our review of the Supervisor's records, we determined that the Supervisor did not:
* Ensure that debit card purchases were approved by the Board. As a result, there was no opportunity for the Board to verify the legitimacy of the purchase before payment, which increased the risk of unauthorized or inappropriate expenditures.
* Review payroll reports to ensure that Town employees were correctly paid according to time records, therefore increasing the risk that employees received additional pay to which they were not entitled.
* Provide the Board with monthly budget status reports, hindering its ability to monitor the Town's financial affairs throughout the year.
This report includes eight recommendations that, if implemented, will improve the Town's financial reporting and help the Board and Supervisor improve the transparency of their fiscal activities. Town officials generally agreed with our findings and indicated they plan to initiate corrective action.
We conducted this audit pursuant to Article V, Section 1 of the State Constitution and the State Comptroller's authority as set forth in Article 3 of GML. Our methodology and standards are included in Appendix C.
The Board has the responsibility to initiate corrective action. A written corrective action plan (CAP) that addresses the findings and recommendations in this report must be prepared and provided to our office within 90 days, pursuant to Section 35 of GML. For more information on preparing and filing your CAP, please refer to our brochure, Responding to an OSC Audit Report, which you received with the draft audit report. We encourage the Board to make the CAP available for public review in the Town Clerk's office.
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The report is posted at:
N.Y. State Comptroller Audit: Middlesex Fire District - Procurement
ALBANY, New York, March 15 (TNSLrpt) -- The office of the New York State Comptroller issued the following audit report (2025M-135) on March 13, 2026, entitled "Middlesex Fire District - Procurement."
Here are excerpts:
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Audit Objective
Did Middlesex Fire District (District) officials ensure the procurement of goods and services in an economical manner?
Audit Period
January 1, 2024 - October 24, 2025.
We extended the audit period back to January 1, 2022 to review the purchase of a tanker truck.
Understanding the Audit Area
A board of fire commissioners and its officials should seek
... Show Full Article
ALBANY, New York, March 15 (TNSLrpt) -- The office of the New York State Comptroller issued the following audit report (2025M-135) on March 13, 2026, entitled "Middlesex Fire District - Procurement."
Here are excerpts:
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Audit Objective
Did Middlesex Fire District (District) officials ensure the procurement of goods and services in an economical manner?
Audit Period
January 1, 2024 - October 24, 2025.
We extended the audit period back to January 1, 2022 to review the purchase of a tanker truck.
Understanding the Audit Area
A board of fire commissioners and its officials should seekcompetition for goods and services to ensure the best value for taxpayers, prevent conflicts of interest and maintain public trust. Seeking competition also guards against favoritism, extravagance and fraud, while allowing interested vendors a fair and equal opportunity to compete.
The Secretary/Treasurer (Treasurer) is the District's chief fiscal officer and is responsible for disbursing District funds.
The District purchased $251,848 in goods and services during the period of January 1, 2024 through July 16, 2025, and made a payment of $157,992 toward the purchase of a tanker truck.
Audit Summary
District officials did not ensure the procurement of goods and services were done in an economical manner. District officials also did not demonstrate that the emergency exception to competitive bidding applied when procuring a new tanker truck. Additionally, officials did not follow the procurement policy adopted by the Board of Fire Commissioners (Board) for procurements not subject to New York State General Municipal Law's (GML) competitive bidding requirements. When District officials do not seek competition or document the methods used, taxpayers have less assurance that the purchase was made in the most prudent and economical manner, in the District's best interest, without favoritism and in compliance with applicable statutes.
Specifically, District officials did not:
* Competitively bid and award a contract valued at $564,065 to purchase a new tanker truck.
* Seek competition by obtaining verbal or written quotes for 14 purchases totaling $82,727.
The report includes three recommendations that, if implemented, will improve the District's procurement of goods and services. District officials disagreed with certain aspects of our findings but indicated they have initiated or plan to initiate corrective action. Appendix C includes our comments on issues raised in the District's response letter.
We conducted this audit pursuant to Article V, Section 1 of the State Constitution and the New York Office of the State Comptroller's (OSC) authority as set forth in Article 3 of GML. Our methodology and standards are included in Appendix D.
The Board has the responsibility to initiate corrective action. Pursuant to Section 181-b of New York State Town Law, a written corrective action plan (CAP) that addresses the findings and recommendations in this report must be prepared and forwarded to our office within 90 days. To the extent practicable, implementation of the CAP must begin by the end of the next fiscal year. For more information on preparing and filing your CAP, please refer to our brochure, Responding to an OSC Audit Report, which you received with the draft audit report. We encourage the Board to make the CAP available for public review.
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The report is posted at:
N.Y. State Comptroller Audit: Middlesex Fire District - Fiscal Transparency
ALBANY, New York, March 15 (TNSLrpt) -- The office of the New York State Comptroller issued the following audit report (2025M-130) on March 13, 2026, entitled "Middlesex Fire District - Fiscal Transparency."
Here are excerpts:
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Audit Objective
Did the Middlesex Fire District (District) Secretary/Treasurer (Treasurer) provide monthly and annual financial reports to the Board of Fire Commissioners (Board) and prepare and file the required annual financial report (AFR) with the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC)?
Audit Period
January 1, 2019 - October 24, 2025
Understanding the Audit
... Show Full Article
ALBANY, New York, March 15 (TNSLrpt) -- The office of the New York State Comptroller issued the following audit report (2025M-130) on March 13, 2026, entitled "Middlesex Fire District - Fiscal Transparency."
Here are excerpts:
* * *
Audit Objective
Did the Middlesex Fire District (District) Secretary/Treasurer (Treasurer) provide monthly and annual financial reports to the Board of Fire Commissioners (Board) and prepare and file the required annual financial report (AFR) with the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC)?
Audit Period
January 1, 2019 - October 24, 2025
Understanding the AuditArea
The monthly and annual financial reports detail the District's financial position and results of operations and provide the Board with necessary information to govern responsibly and monitor District financial operations. This can help protect the District from financial mismanagement and help establish transparency. For example, District residents and taxpayers may use the AFR to evaluate the financial stewardship of their elected representatives and to provide a basis for their own informed participation in the budgetary process. Gaps or delays in preparing monthly and annual financial reports undermines transparency and creates missed opportunities to identify and remedy fiscal concerns.
The Treasurer joined the District in October 2018 and serves as the District's chief fiscal officer. The Treasurer is responsible for the custody, receipt, disbursement and accounting for District funds and filing the AFR with the OSC.
Audit Summary
The Treasurer prepared and provided monthly and annual financial reports to the Board. However, the Treasurer did not prepare and file the District's AFRs with OSC for fiscal years 2018 through 2024 in a timely manner (Figure 1). The Treasurer told us the former Treasurer's records were disorganized and incomplete, and she did not have access to the OSC Online Services portal1 to file the AFRs. When AFRs are not filed, transparency is diminished and the Board, District residents, taxpayers, OSC and other interested parties are denied the ability to assess the District's financial standing.
The report includes two recommendations that, if implemented, will improve the District's fiscal transparency. District officials generally agreed with our recommendations and their response is included in Appendix B.
We conducted this audit pursuant to Article V, Section 1 of the State Constitution and OSC's authority as set forth in Article 3 of the New York State General Municipal Law (GML). Our methodology and standards are included in Appendix C.
The Board has the responsibility to initiate corrective action. Pursuant to Section 181-b of New York State Town Law, a written corrective action plan (CAP) that addresses the findings and recommendations in this report must be prepared and forwarded to our office within 90 days. To the extent practicable, implementation of the CAP must begin by the end of the next fiscal year. For more information on preparing and filing your CAP, please refer to our brochure, Responding to an OSC Audit Report, which you received with the draft audit report. We encourage the Board to make the CAP available for public review.
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The report is posted at:
N.C. State Auditor: 'City of Rocky Mount Financial Distress'
RALEIGH, North Carolina, March 15 (TNSLrpt) -- The North Carolina Office of the State Auditor issued a performance audit report on March 9, 2026, entitled "City of Rocky Mount Financial Distress":
Here are excerpts:
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The audit found that the City of Rocky Mount (City) experienced severe financial distress between FY 2023 and FY 2025 driven by increased City employee compensation (27%) and capital purchases (153%) in FY 2024. This increased spending coincided with a 2% decrease in City revenues. During this time, the City's cash and investment balances declined dramatically, from approximately
... Show Full Article
RALEIGH, North Carolina, March 15 (TNSLrpt) -- The North Carolina Office of the State Auditor issued a performance audit report on March 9, 2026, entitled "City of Rocky Mount Financial Distress":
Here are excerpts:
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The audit found that the City of Rocky Mount (City) experienced severe financial distress between FY 2023 and FY 2025 driven by increased City employee compensation (27%) and capital purchases (153%) in FY 2024. This increased spending coincided with a 2% decrease in City revenues. During this time, the City's cash and investment balances declined dramatically, from approximately$100 million in August 2023 to just $21.8 million by August 2025 (78% decrease).
The audit found that the City's financial distress was caused by key breakdowns in City governance. The City Council and City Manager share responsibility for ensuring effective governance, fiscal integrity, and public trust. However, increased spending occurred without complete and thorough feasibility analyses, with limited oversight from City Council, and with instability in financial leadership.
Specifically,
* Former City management was hired without due diligence, including the former City Manager and former Finance Director.
* City financial leadership instability. Since FY 2021, the Finance Department cycled through five directors, including individuals with limited local government finance experience.
* Overspending and loose budget practices. Spending was approved and occurred without thorough feasibility analyses. Additionally, the City Council approved budget amendments to match actual spending, masking excessive spending and normalizing fiscal indiscipline.
* City Council oversight shortcomings. The City Council approved budgets without detailed financial data, missed statutory audit deadlines, and failed to hold City management accountable for lack of transparency.
The impact of the City's financial distress has a direct and negative impact on both city services and the community, and time is needed to recover.
The audit includes several recommendations to strengthen future financial governance.
Details about each item are provided in the Findings and Recommendations section of the report.
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The performance audit report is posted at: https://www.auditor.nc.gov/documents/reports/performance/per-2026-558/open
Audio & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Is a Guest on CBS 2's "The Point"
ALBANY, New York, March 15 -- Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-New York, issued the following news release:
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Audio & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Is a Guest on CBS 2's "The Point"
*
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul was a guest on CBS 2's "The Point" with Marcia Kramer.
AUDIO: The Governor's interview is available in audio form here.
A rush transcript of the Governor's interview is available below:
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: Governor Kathy Hochul wants to be the "Affordability Governor," a tough road to follow when everything seems to be getting more expensive, but she's up to the task. But
... Show Full Article
ALBANY, New York, March 15 -- Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-New York, issued the following news release:
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Audio & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Is a Guest on CBS 2's "The Point"
*
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul was a guest on CBS 2's "The Point" with Marcia Kramer.
AUDIO: The Governor's interview is available in audio form here.
A rush transcript of the Governor's interview is available below:
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: Governor Kathy Hochul wants to be the "Affordability Governor," a tough road to follow when everything seems to be getting more expensive, but she's up to the task. Butbefore we talk about affordability, I'd like to talk to you about what seems to be rampant Islamophobia. Specifically, I'm going to talk to you about a tweet by Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama on Thursday night where he basically had a picture of Zohran Mamdani on a prayer rug next to the attack on the World Trade Center towers saying, "The enemies are in the gate." How do you feel about that and the fact that he's now trying to make the Mayor of the City of New York a target for Islamophobia?
Governor Hochul: People like that should not be in public life. In fact, they are the lowest of the low. I reject any kind of notion that it's okay in public discourse or even in your own house to, not just harbor that hate, but to share it with others and to be part of a problem that we're trying to deal with. The rise in Islamophobia and antisemitism is off the charts, and then you have an elected official -who should know better -using their platform to, in a despicable way, criticize the religious beliefs of our Mayor. So I think these are disgusting human beings and I would like their voters to actually look at who they're sending to office and wonder, "Is that who represents our values as human beings and as Americans?" So I'm sickened by what I've seen out there.
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: I wonder if this makes it more difficult for you as Governor to deal with the combined programs, problems of Islamophobia and antisemitism, which the hate crimes are really on the rise in New York and it can't be helpful to you.
Governor Hochul: No. I had to work hard to have hate crimes bail eligible so we can treat them more seriously. They weren't being even treated seriously until I changed the law, got the Legislature to change a few years ago. I've had to invest upwards of $135 million to protect synagogues, yeshivas, and mosques and other places that are targets. I have over 1,000 members of my National Guard around the city now to help NYPD protect these places.
You saw what happened with the synagogue in Michigan yesterday, so it's all festering this climate of hatred that has no place in a state like New York. This is repugnant to our values, and yes, it's hard, but I believe -and I was in an interfaith meeting yesterday with members of the Muslim community and leaders in the Jewish community together in my office saying, "An attack on one is an attack on all of us." So if religious communities stand together, regardless of the origins or the faith and say, "We don't do that to each other. We don't do that. We have to have more respect for your right to worship the God you choose, and to send your children where you want them to be educated." And I know we can get to that place, but we have to stand up from our positions as public leaders and condemn it forcefully.
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: Do you think that the war in Iran is exacerbating what's going on and also is it making it more difficult for you to deal with these joint problems?
Governor Hochul: Yes, it is. Yes, it is -both problems. One is, apparently the attacker in Michigan -I just communicated with my friend, Gretchen Whitmer, the Governor there -was supposedly inspired because he had brothers that were killed in the war. They're members of Hezbollah, which is a terrorist organization that we are concerned about even in North America here, I will say that. I get intelligence briefings all the time and we're deeply concerned about individuals who are here trying to do harm to all of us.
So, it is making it difficult because that has heated up the passions around this, and also on the affordability challenges. Gasoline prices are through the roof, and even if you don't own a car, you're paying for the higher cost of goods being transported to your grocery store. There's a ripple effect of everything and none of it is good.
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: I do want to talk to you about affordability, and I do want to talk to you about gas and utility prices. Specifically, let's start with the gas prices since you raised it. Do you think there should be some kind of a gas moratorium, a gas holiday? I took a look at the taxes -apparently 48 cents of every gallon in New York are taxes. Is there any way you would consider some kind of a gas holiday to get us through the high prices?
Governor Hochul: I think you'll see most of the taxes are at the federal level. Since this was initiated by our federal government, I think they have a responsibility to suspend all the excise taxes on gasoline and federal taxes across the board, yes. Find a way to give some relief at the pump because it is having a devastating effect on people's pocketbooks already.
New Yorkers and all Americans are struggling with high cost of child care and car insurance and electric bills and utility bills, and now to have something that was at least in the $2-to-low-$3 range shooting upwards, and as they save on gasoline prices, they shoot up with it like a rocket, but they come down like a feather. So we're not going to see, even if the war ends tomorrow, we'll still be paying higher prices at the pump. And again, families are struggling enough, they didn't need this one.
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: So when you have your conversations with President Trump, would you be raising this as an issue?
Governor Hochul: I'd be happy to. We talk about keeping his hands off of the Gateway Tunnel, fund the program that is keeping thousands of people at work in our city, it's a critically important part of our infrastructure. I have a lot of conversations about keeping his hands off of, not having a surge in ICE raids in our city, so I'll just add that to my list.
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: So also I want to talk to you about utility rates. The Assembly has proposed a two-year moratorium or freeze on utility rates statewide. Is that something that you think is doable in this budget?
Governor Hochul: No, I want to find ways that we can get our arms around something that is so difficult for New Yorkers and we have a ratepayer protection plan in place. We have my all-of-the-above approach to find more sources of energy to help drive down the cost, although they're affected by global supply chains.
I will be happy to have conversations with the Assembly and Legislature overall about what we can do collectively to reduce costs.
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: They're also talking about a rebate, an energy rebate, up to $500 depending on how much you earn. How do you feel about that?
Governor Hochul: I'm having conversations on everything. There's nothing I won't consider -at least see whether it's feasible, whether we can do that. But at the same time, we're also asking utilities to make major investments in transitioning to clean energy sources, so that's an additional cost that they're absorbing so we have to figure it out. But we're also looking at compensation for executives, and the relationship of that and our rates that we're paying. So there's a lot to be looked at, but it is on my list as one of my priorities to try and figure out a way to just take the pressure off New York families.
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: You know what? When you raise, you talk about the compensation that executives are getting, do you think they're getting too high a rate?
Governor Hochul: I want to see what the relationship of that compensation is, how that's going up in relation to utility bills going up and what we can do about it, so I've got a bill in my budget to address that.
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: So the other question I have is this -you talk about finding alternate types of power. I know that Mike Lawler had a big press conference this past week saying you should reopen Indian Point. I wonder how you feel about that, and if you think that maybe that was a mistake of your predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, to close it down when we were gonna need the power.
Governor Hochul: I think the mistake was not having a plan be in place. I understand there was anxiety in the community about the proximity of this power plant; although, it had worked successfully and safely for decades, but okay, there's momentum among the public that there's concern about its closeness to New York City if anything should happen. But before that ever should have happened, we should have made sure that there are alternative energy sources in place. So what happened was we lost 25 percent of the power that were used to power the businesses and homes of New York City. And what has resulted is, to replace that we're now having more diesel trucks on the roads, transporting liquified natural gas and home heating oil, which is driving up our emissions Downstate. Emissions Upstate are much lower because we have more hydroelectric power and nuclear. Mike Lawler can say that, but also he should get on board with my approach to build more nuclear facilities Upstate, where they're welcome not to go where they're unwelcome.
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: So you wouldn't say reopening Indian Power is -
Governor Hochul: I don't think it's possible at this point, I really don't. But I also think I'm already on -I've been working for now a couple of years on having nuclear facilities up in areas where they want them, where we already have nuclear.
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: But if you could bring nuclear power Upstate, can you bring that nuclear power Downstate so that you can help New York City, which lost 25 percent from Indian Point?
Governor Hochul: Well I'm -I'll tell you what I'm doing with your Downstate. Next year you're going to see the benefit of a hydroelectric plan I launched in my first months in office -
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: I recall
Governor Hochul: With Hydro-Quebec, bringing it down the Hudson River, and that's going to help power New York City, as well as my efforts with offshore wind, if Donald Trump would stop shutting it down. It's maddening. I've got a plan to transition to renewable energy and they eliminate the tax benefits for wind and solar, and then they kill a project that's just about to power about a half a million homes in Brooklyn. So I'm trying my best, but then you get these other forces that conspire against us, but I'll keep fighting.
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: We only have about 30 seconds left, but I have a quick question that might help drivers. What about tax free, toll free Friday for drivers who don't have to, who don't have to pay tolls to help them with their gas prices?
Governor Hochul: I'm up with all ideas, I really am, but the way I can help drivers is to reduce the high cost of insurance. If everyone gets on board with my insurance reform package, I can drive down insurance costs by 10 or 20 percent.
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: Were you upset that it wasn't in either House Budget?
Governor Hochul: There's a lot of time to negotiate it back in.
Marcia Kramer, CBS 2: Okay, we're going to have to leave it right there for now.
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Original text here: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/audio-rush-transcript-governor-hochul-guest-cbs-2s-point
