A scathing audit of Irvington?s finances accusing the township of seriously mishandling money has been released by state comptroller Matthew Boxer.

The audit shows Irvington?s books being off by nearly $60 million. Irvington is referred to as a ?township in disarray? in the report.

The town is also accused of not following basic accounting practices and not following state regulations. According to the audit, Irvington has not been able to produce a balanced set of books since 2000.

?Even for a homeowner or a man or woman off the street, these practices would be unacceptable,? says Boxer. ?What this comes down to are some very basic financial principles like maintaining a balanced checkbook.?

Irvington Mayor [blank] Smith takes exception to the report.

?At the end of the day, we couldn't be in disarray,? says Smith. ?We wouldn't be able to make financial payroll. We wouldn't be able to keep the city afloat if we were in disarray.?

The mayor says he is working with the comptroller to make corrections. He disputes accusations the town ledger is out of balance, saying it only appears that way due a computer problem. Boxer doesn?t accept that response.

?It?s not a software issue,? says Boxer. ?It?s either in balance or it?s not.?