A review of the takeover of parks in the City of Buffalo by Erie County reveals significant deficits, Comptroller Mark Poloncarz said Wednesday.

The comptroller's office audited the Intermunicpal Cooperation Agreement, or ICA, that was signed in 2004. The audit said the county wound up with an operating loss of $776,531 in 2005. That figure that would have been much higher had the county used $500,000 from its reserves for parks operations.

Poloncarz said the findings by his office indicate that operation of Buffalo parkland is costing more than the $1.8 million the city is paying the county under the ICA.

"When county management sought to take over the city's parks, they stated it would be budget-neutral to the county and would have no adverse fiscal impact on the county's fund budget," said Poloncarz. "Our audit confirms that is not the case."

He listed several additional findings including terms and conditions that have not been adhered to; consistently late billing of invoices; and failure by the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, which helps in parks maintenance, to provide revenue reports to the county.