NY State Conservation Fund Audit

[thefishingline]

: They Key Findings, besides the fact the state is using the conservation fund for law enforcement and other items that were not supposed to be used from the fund, are Fund revenues have been properly accounted for, and expenditures have been related to the Department's Program responsibilities, consistent with applicable State law and regulation.
. The balance in the Fund has increased to over $90 million since license fees were raised in 2009, largely due to a one-time spike of over 100,000 lifetime license sales, the fees from which must be invested in a Trust Account and are not available to fund current operations.
. Capital projects increased in the years immediately following the license fee increase, while direct Program expenditures initially declined. More recently, the Fund has begun funding a greater share of the Department's law enforcement costs, which were shifted to other funding sources before the fee increase. In 2012-2013, the Fund supported 113 fewer Department staff positions than it did eight years earlier: 68 fewer law enforcement staff, 29 fewer support positions and 16 fewer direct Program personnel.