Ulster County Comptroller

News

Comptroller's Letter to the Editor - Subpoena and the Process for Resolving These Differences

I want people to understand the Office of the Comptroller’s decision to subpoena records about Burt Gulnick from Ulster County and the resulting litigation. Our document request is narrowly tailored to include specific records and time periods based on credible concerns. These concerns, several of which were reported to our office by whistleblowers, we raised repeatedly. The report we seek was conducted with taxpayer dollars because of documentation and concerns we brought forward.

Press Release Re: Comptroller Subpoena for County Records

Kingston, NY (October 19, 2023) – Yesterday the Ulster County Comptroller filed a special proceeding in Supreme Court to compel the release of books and records pertaining to former Commissioner of Finance Burt Gulnick. In April of 2021 the Comptroller’s Office received tips from concerned citizens about Mr. Gulnick’s personal debt and potential involvement in time theft. As a result, the Comptroller documented these concerns and shared them with the former Administration, which then instituted an investigation through the County’s outside labor counsel.

Recent Reports

Second Quarter Financial Report

Kingston, NY (September 26, 2023) – Ulster County Comptroller March Gallagher released the 2023 Second Quarter Financial Report. Due to the lag in the closure of the 2022 financials and unrecorded transactions for the 2023 year within the County’s financial system, the numbers released in this report are tentative and may differ materially from actual numbers. We recommend that the County take a cautious approach during the budget process for fiscal year 2024.

Ulster County Solar PILOT Audit – Review of Billing and Collections

Kingston, NY (September 12, 2023) – Ulster County Comptroller March Gallagher released a Solar PILOT Audit – Review of Billing and Collections. Ulster County has seen a significant increase in the deployment of solar installations with 107 megawatts deployed since 2000. Utility scale facilities are required to submit a Notice of Intent to build and operate a solar energy system. As of the close of 2022 Ulster County had approved 12 solar Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreements.