Annual Financial Report (AFR) Non-Filers

Each year, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of every county, city, town, village and fire district is required to report information on their finances to the New York State Comptroller's Office. This AFR captures the local government's revenues and expenditures for the year as well as its cash reserves, fund balance, and outstanding debt at the end of the period. OSC makes the data available to the public on its website.

The AFR data informs local officials, residents, other taxpayers, and State policymakers alike about the financial condition of New York's local governments. OSC's Fiscal Stress Monitoring System uses AFR data to provide an early alert to local government officials to any budgetary issues they may face.

As OSC audits have found, lack of reporting is often an indicator of poor record-keeping and other troubling financial practices, especially when the problem persists for multiple years. In these situations, fiscal difficulties may go unnoticed and unaddressed far longer, and remedies may be correspondingly more drastic once they are caught.