VILLAGE OF MILAN, N.M. — The Village of Milan Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, May 11, at 9:00 a.m. for a special meeting. All board members were in attendance, and the agenda was approved as presented.
The first item approved by the board was an Internal Controls Policy document. According to a document provided by the State of New York Comptroller, via the weblink https://www.osc.state.ny. us/files/local-government/publications/pdf/internal_controls.pdf, “Internal controls are essential to “good” government management and can be defined as activities (safeguards) that are in place to provide reasonable assurance that things are “going as planned.” Simply put, internal control is anything that local officials can do to safeguard assets and make more efficient and effective use of these assets.”
The document also describes the four objectives of an entity’s internal controls as being the protection of assets, effectiveness and efficiency of operations, reli ability of financial reporting, and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The same document also explains that internal controls are important to the success of an entity because “they are checks and balances to support the mission and to help prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.” The Village of Milan’s Internal Controls Policy document uses ten full pages to outline these various safeguards and processes. The policy can be reviewed by visiting the Village of Milan website, http://www.villageofmilan.com, and clicking ‘Board of Trustees Meeting Agendas and Minutes.’
The trustees also approved a Change Order for Fire Department Construction and a request from the Grants Rodeo Association. The request from the Grants Rodeo Association was for funding in the amount of $500, in order to develop advertising pamphlets that would be distributed near and far. The board considered a Credit Card Policy as well, similar to the Internal Controls Policy in that it outlines procedures regarding credit card use by village employees. “The purpose of these procedures is to provide guidance for accepting credit card payments for services throughout the Village of Milan, accounting controls to mitigate risks of credit card fraud, and an understanding of the Payment Card Industry (PCI) regulations,” the document introduction read.
Finally, after returning from an executive session, the trustees approved Resolution 2022-015, which establishes a Local Settlement Agreement regarding local water rights. “The proposed Local Settlement Agreement is adopted because it would benefit citizens of the Village of Milan and the surrounding communities by protecting the Village's water rights and water supply, by providing funds to repair and improve the Village's water supply and distribution system and wastewater sanitary sewer system, and by avoiding the uncertainty and expense of further litigation regarding the water rights claims of the Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna,” reads the resolution.
The Board of Trustees’ next gathering was on Thursday, May 12, at 5:30 p.m.