1. GETTING ORGANIZED… AND STAYING THERE Audit and Retention Preparation Audits 7-393 Fire Proof 7-27 Retention/destruction 7-109 By Carla Hamel, CCMC & Arlene Boutin, CCMC

2. ADDS DELETES OR SEPARATE BY TYPE R, P, M OR S CO’S VETERANS ELDERLY PRORATES ADJUSTMENTS M4-460 Until Audited

3. BANK CODES BINDER INDIVIDUAL COVER SHEETS 1. BANK NAME AND CODE 2. ADDRESS 3. CONTACT INFORMATION 4. REFUND INFORMATION  BANK REQUEST LIST  ADDS/DELETES M4-500 ESCROW CODING – 1 YEAR OR UNTIL AUDITED; WHICH EVER COMES LATER

4. BANKRUPTCY 4 HANGING FOLDERS 1. General Information 2. Chapter 7 3. Chapter 11 4. Chapter 13 Within each hanging folder 1. Pending/proof of claim 2. Dismissed/Discharged 3. Non-applicable M4-450 Bankruptcy – 1 year after date of closure

5. CONTRACT CONTACTS PROBLEMS MONTHLY SUMMARY PACK M3-135 & 145 PAYMENTS RECEIPTS; 3 YEARS OR UNTIL AUDITED – WHICHEVER IS LATER Collection Agency

6. Conferences and Meetings

7. CONTRACT CONTACTS PROBLEMS MONTHLY SUMMARY PACK M3-145 PAYMENT RECEIPTS; 3 YEARS OR UNTIL AUDITED-WHICHEVER IS LATER. Credit Cards

8. TAXPAYERS M1-080 ROUTINE – 2 YEARS TOWN ATTORNEY *DEPENDS* YOUR LEGISLATIVE BODY M1-085 CORRESPONDENCE- POLICY-PERMANENT Correspondence

9. TUMBLEWEED INFO SFILE.CT.GOV CONTACT: GARY TRERICE 860-263-5387 DMV.TAXCOLLECTOR@CT.GOV DMV DIRECT OTHER RELATED INFORMATION DMV

10. Department of Motor Vehicle PUTONS ERROR REPORTS M4-550 - 1 YEAR FROM DATE OF REPORT TAKEOFFS ERROR REPORTS M4-550 - 1 YEAR FROM DATE OF REPORT

11. Organizing Email Review M1-125, M1-130 & M1-135

15. Expenditures Maintenance Membership Meetings/trainings Miscellaneous Printing/binding Publications Supplies Travel

16. LEGAL NOTICES (M4-540- 15 YEARS FROM DUEDATE OF TAX) RATEBILL/TAX WARRANTS (M4-570 - 15 YEARS FROM DUE DATE OF TAX) LEGAL OPINIONS (M1-185 PERMANENT) ORDINANCES/PUBLIC ACTS STATUTES OFFICE POLICIES/PROCEDURES Legal Information

17. Real Estate Liens Personal Property Liens Binder containing each lien or list of liens Notate date, volume and page recorded in Notate date, volume and page released in (M4-630, M4-640, M4- 650) Binder containing each lien or list of liens Notate date, & UCC filing number for filing Notate date, & UCC filing number for releasing Liens

18. BLANK RELEASES FAXES (M1-080 – CORRESPONDENCE, ROUTINE: INCLUDING FOI REQUESTS) OFFICE POLICIES & MANUAL MISCELLANEOUS

19. ABSENCE FORMS VACATION FORMS ACCIDENT FORMS CERTIFICATES JOB DESCRIPTION APPOINTMENT COPY OF BOND TIMESHEETS Personnel

20. Post Office Forms Mailings Permit information Meter PO Box

21. Final Posted Ratebooks (M4-580) 15 years from due date

22. (M4-660) TAX REFUND REQUESTS & REPORTS 3 YRS OR UNTIL AUDITED, WHICHEVER COMES LATER Refunds

23. Monthly budget reports Quarterly reports F -71 Quarterly survey of property tax collections from Dept of Commerce, US Census Bureau Not on retention schedule but suggested 2-3 years. REPORTS

24. Returned Checks Outstanding returned checks M3-135 &145 – 3 years or until audited; whichever is later Paid checks

25. M1 - GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS M3- FISCAL RECORDS M4 – ASSESSMENT & TAX COLLECTION RECORDS WWW.CTSTATELIBRARY.ORG M1-110 DISPOSAL REQUESTS – RC075 PERMANENT Retention Schedule Requests……… Approved Requests

27. Software Company Contract Contacts Problems

28. STATE REPORTS FORMS 1. (M-1) Annual Report of Municipal Property Tax Collectors – M4-470- Certification of millrate & tax levy; 3 years or until audited whichever is later. 2. (M-35b) Elderly & Totally Disabled Homeowners 3. (M-42b) Totally Disabled 4. (M-59) Additional Veterans 5. (M-36) Freeze #’s 2-5 all use M4-510 Exemption of State Reimbursement – 3 years or until audited; whichever is later.

29. UNDELIVERABLE (M4-610) 1 YEAR OR UNTIL AUDITED WHICHEVER IS LATER Tax Bills

30. SEPARATE FOLDERS FOR EACH ACCOUNT PLACED Town Attorney Accounts

31. SEPARATE FOLDER FOR EACH MARSHAL/CONSTABLE PAID IN FULL M4-430 - 1 YEAR FROM DATE COLLECTED OR DATE ISSUED;IF UNCOLLECTED WARRANTS

32. ADJUSTMENTS FOR FISCAL YEAR REFUNDS FOR FY COLLECTION AGENCY FOR FY EXPENDITURES FOR FY BATCHES FOR FY RETURNED CHECKS WARRANTS PAID IN FULL PULL OUT ANYTHING ELSE THAT CAN BE SHREDDED LABEL WITH FISCAL YEAR CLEARLY MARKED AND DESTROY DATE ON THEM End of the Fiscal Year

33. August, 2012Auditors trying to complete the 2011 annual audit noticed an unusual account called “change line item” and began to ask questions of Finance Director and were not getting appropriate answers. November, 2012Finance Director was put on “Administrative Leave” and finally dismissed in January, 2013 January-August, 2013 Auditors were asked to look deeper and started to find discrepancies. Forensic audit began. (250,000 tax bills from Jan, 2008 – Nov, 2012 were pulled by office staff, making copies of every batch deposit ticket, batch settlement totals, and bank statements for every batch for both auditors and state investigators. Copies were reviewed to verify cash/checks listed on tax office deposit ticket were actually deposited at bank as batch sheets reported. (They were not.) Cash was removed from Tax Office deposits and replaced with checks from other departments, from vendors, and town checks to make deposit whole. (Loss to Town – verified to be greater than$2 million) Audit found that IRS W-2 forms for Finance Director had been altered from 1995. (Financial Loss to Town - $184,515) Large amounts of cash found in his desk and office safe. January, 2013 Criminal investigation began by Major Crime Squad. June, 2013Town Hall and Tax Office staff questioned by State Police investigator for his deposition prior to issuing arrest warrant. August, 2013 Finance Director arrested and taken to New Haven January, 2014 Finance Director pled guilty to five counts of larceny in the first degree April, 2014 Sentencing, expected to be 20 years, suspended after 11 years served and probation Winchester Embezzlement Investigation Timeline:

34. KEEPING OFFICE ORGANIZED  Daily batches should be balanced and verified to insure that daily deposit to bank agrees with daily batch AND bank statement.  Copy of deposit ticket should be kept with daily batch attached with batch total report.  Daily batch total > Deposit slip prepared>Bank receipt - All should equal.  Policies and Procedures should be in place:  Cash & checks locked up every night.  Large amounts of cash should not be kept in cash drawers.  No third party checks or personal checks cashed out of cash drawers.  If hand calculating interest, calculation tape should be attached to tickets, per auditors.

35. Management responsibility Written policies and procedures – control environment Protect assets Ensure integrity of financial reports Control ledgers Reconciliation of cash Segregation of duties – separate the ability to commit from the ability to conceal Independent Checks Controlled Access Electronic processing controls Internal Controls As seen in past tax collector handbook

36. Segregation of Duties: Is the individual who collects cash receipts someone other than the individual who prepares the deposits and records cash receipts Are receipts deposited intact on a daily basis? Does the Tax Collector maintain a separate bank account? Does the Tax Collector maintain a control book on a current basis? Is the individual who maintains the control book someone other than the individual who posts receipts and changes to the detail accounts in the rate book? Are rate books periodically balanced to the control book? Are all Assessor’s corrections numerically accounted for and properly posted to the rate books and control book on a timely basis? Has the abstract been reconciled to the beginning balances in the rate books? Auditing the Tax Collector’s Office

37. Do beginning balances for each prior year’s list agree with the prior year’s report? Does the beginning balance for the current year agree with the original rate book totals as reconciled to the abstract? Do amounts in the report agree directly, or through adjustments, with the property tax revenue recorded in the General Fund? Do the totals per the Suspense List agree to the totals shown on the Tax Collector’s Report? Do the totals per the list of refunds agree to the totals shown on the Tax Collector’s Report? Are there any other adjustments posted to the rate books? Do collections reconcile to the amounts turned over to the Treasurer? Do the ending outstanding balances per the report agree to the totals per the rate books? Tax Collector’s Report: Does the Tax Collector prepare an annual report?

38. Are all liens properly continued and certificates filed with the Town Clerk on a timely basis? Do prepaid taxes agree to amounts recorded in the control book? Are control totals maintained for the Suspense Tax Book and do they agree to the totals of the detail? Are back tax bills issued on a timely basis? Are lists of delinquent motor vehicle tax payers filed with the Department of Motor Vehicles on a timely basis? Are lien fees collected by the Tax Collector paid to the Treasurer? Are collection enforcement mechanisms (tax sale, foreclosures, tax lien assignment) instituted on a timely basis? Is interest consistently charged at the proper statutory rate on all overdue taxes? Are accounts that are turned over to third parties for collection properly controlled? Other items included in the Audit