New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli attended the Rockland Business Association's membership luncheon Wednesday to discuss the MTA's financial plight.

DiNapoli says the MTA's debt is due in part to its prior administration, its mismanagement of finances and the current economic downturn. The comptroller is calling for audits of the MTA to be stepped up.

"The MTA has had some real financial problems, some of their own doing, no doubt," DiNapoli says.

DiNapoli says if the transportation agency had better management and budgeting in the past, the situation may not have been as grave now.

"There's a lot of work that needs to be done in terms of management of the public authority, so it could be more accountable to the public," DiNapoli says. "There's no guarantee they're not going to be in fiscal distress again. They did put a plan together at least for the short run."

DiNapoli calls the new payroll tax on local businesses a temporary solution and says the state will closely monitor whether the plan is effective.