OWASCO - A town supervisor candidate told the Owasco Town Board fiscal troubles documented in an audit of 2006 date back to at least 1999.

During a meeting Thursday, Republican candidate Eleanor Beck contended the town was warned that a lack of internal control could lead to bigger problems in a state Comptroller audit from the end of the last decade. Similar observations were made in audits of 2005 and 2006 by the Auburn firm Cuddy & Ward.

“How can the town board expect any continuity if there are not accounting systems in place?” Beck said, implying the problems go beyond the Republican administration that took over in 2006 after three decades of Democratic control.

Councilman John Klink, Beck's Democratic opponent, said the 2005 audit could not be improved upon because of the inexperienced staff appointed by Republican leadership in 2006.

“If the bookkeeper we had for 18 years would've been here to sit down with Cuddy & Ward, it wouldn't have looked like this,” Klink said, adding that while both audits shared some problems, the most serious appeared in the 2006 report.

With Beth Wilson back in the bookkeeper position since this past March, Klink assured the 2007 audit will be an improvement over the dismal 2006 evaluation.

The town is making progress on audit recommendations, Deputy Town Supervisor Douglas Buchanan said. A policy manual is in the works, water and sewer funds have been separated, checks are being signed by hand instead of rubber-stamped and an inventory of the town's physical assets is forthcoming, he said.

In other news:

€ Town Planning Board Chairman Richard Knaul was of two officials in the state recognized by the New York Planning Federation with the Award for Excellence at the organization's annual meeting. The Town Board presented Knaul with a plaque.

€ The town board set a public hearing on the preliminary 2008 budget for 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at town hall.