By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
BATTERY PARK CITY — The Battery Park City Authority hired a new auditor this week, five months after a state investigation revealed that the agency had wasted over $300,000 on catered meals and parties.
The authority will pay New Jersey firm WithumSmith+Brown $477,000 over three years to perform internal audits and risk assessments for the agency.
"We know we need to go in and take a fresh look at these types of internal controls," said Gayle Horwitz, president of the BPCA.
Previously, the authority staff performed the internal audits themselves, which cost about $300,000 per year in salaries alone.
The state Inspector General criticized Roy Villafane, the authority's former internal auditor, last December for inappropriately documenting the car and driver perks that former Authority Chairman James Gill received. Villafane retired last year and the authority never replaced him.
WithumSmith+Brown has 250 certified accountants on staff and has experience auditing city, state and federal agencies, the authority said.
The authority has complicated finances including hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds and generates tens of millions of dollars each year in profits.
"This is a win-win all the way around," said Robert Mueller, who chairs the authority's Audit Committee. "Not only do we get the job done for less money, but [we're getting] a better job."
