State board wants more oversight of West Haven’s finances

WEST HAVEN, Conn. — Members of a state oversight board decided Thursday they need greater control over the finances of West Haven, Connecticut. The Municipal Accountability Review Board voted to recommend that West Haven, which is currently under a level of state oversight known as Tier III, be upgraded to Tier IV. That means the state board would have additional management tools, including the ability to hire a financial manager for the city. But our balance sheet is certainly a lot stronger today than it was four years ago.” Board members countered that the alleged theft by former Democratic Rep. Michael DiMassa, an aide to the West Haven City Council at the time, and others, would not have occurred if proper financial safeguards recommended by the board were put in place. A recent outside audit ordered by the state’s Office of Policy and Management found “numerous instances” where the city lacked “sufficient controls and safeguards to ensure the proper accounting and reporting” of COVID-19 relief funds, as well as a lack of internal controls and “other weaknesses” that went beyond the pandemic funds and affected the city’s overall financial management.