Nourish NY Needs Better Oversight to Connect More Food Banks and NY Farms to Funding
The Nourish New York program was created to help the 1-in-10 New Yorkers facing food insecurity and local farmers by connecting food banks to New York-grown products. However, an audit released by State Comptroller DiNapoli found the agencies jointly managing Nourish NY may have limited the program's ability to fund certain food bank purchases, and thus benefit fewer area farmers.
“The State’s Department of Health and Department of Agriculture and Markets need to provide stronger oversight to help the program reach its full potential," State Comptroller DiNapoli said. “Greater and clearer guidance to food relief organizations will enable them to get the funds needed to buy New York-made farm products and should help increase the number of participating farms.”
The program launched in May 2020 to help with the pandemic’s food supply chain disruptions. It was then permanently signed into State law in November 2021 and has been allocated $147 million in funding through March 2023. DiNapoli’s audit revealed the State’s Department of Health approved $22.7 million in purchases made by food relief organizations from May 2020 through March 2022, despite not having adequate documentation that the food products were grown in New York, as required under Nourish NY.
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DiNapoli Releases Audit of Air Quality Monitoring Program
An audit released by Comptroller DiNapoli this week found that the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) was not always taking action to enforce compliance with air pollution control requirements established to protect the public. It also found that DEC had not properly implemented and applied its environmental justice regulations when reviewing some permit applications for facilities causing air pollution.
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Local Sales Tax Collections Increased by 4% in August
Local sales tax collections in New York State grew by 4% in August compared to the same month in 2022, according to data released by State Comptroller DiNapoli. Overall, local collections totaled $1.78 billion, up $67.9 million compared to the same time last year.
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Municipal & School Audits
- Saratoga Springs City School District
- City of Glens Falls
- Albany County
- Town of Hyde Park
- Village of Lake Placid
ALSO IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK
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- Nourish NY receives audit; need for more oversight
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Post of the Week
Tom DiNapoli @NYSComptroller
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