Audit 26785

FY End
2022-12-31
Total Expended
$5.76M
Findings
6
Programs
22
Year: 2022 Accepted: 2023-07-24

Organization Exclusion Status:

Checking exclusion status...

Findings

ID Ref Severity Repeat Requirement
35397 2022-002 Significant Deficiency - L
35398 2022-003 Significant Deficiency - B
35399 2022-004 Significant Deficiency Yes B
611839 2022-002 Significant Deficiency - L
611840 2022-003 Significant Deficiency - B
611841 2022-004 Significant Deficiency Yes B

Programs

ALN Program Spent Major Findings
81.042 Weatherization Assistance for Low-Income Persons $2.12M - 0
14.228 Community Development Block Grants $1.76M Yes 2
97.067 Homeland Security Grant Program $333,270 - 0
93.044 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Part B_grants for Supportive Services $305,651 Yes 0
93.045 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Part C-1 $295,588 Yes 0
93.889 National Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Program $190,080 - 0
11.307 Economic Adjustment Assistance $174,050 - 0
93.045 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Part C-2 $172,032 Yes 0
20.513 Capital Assistance Program for Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities $76,800 - 0
11.302 Economic Development_support for Planning Organizations $70,000 - 0
93.044 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Admin $65,016 Yes 1
93.052 National Family Caregiver Support, Title Iii, Part E $40,790 - 0
93.044 Special Programs for the Aging_covid-19 - Arpa, Title Iii, Admin $40,171 Yes 0
93.044 Special Programs for the Aging_covid-19 - Arpa, Title Iii, Part B Grants for Supportive Services $34,469 Yes 0
93.045 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Nsip C-1 $22,438 Yes 0
93.044 Special Programs for the Aging_covid-19 - Title Iii, Colorado Vaccine Act $17,763 Yes 0
94.002 Cooperative Development Program $16,178 - 0
93.889 Covid-19 - National Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Program $12,790 - 0
10.351 Rural Business Development Grant $8,472 - 0
93.043 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Part D_disease Prevention and Health Promotion Services $3,755 - 0
93.044 Special Programs for the Aging_covid-19 - Arpa, Title Iii, Public Health $2,161 Yes 0
93.042 Special Programs for the Aging_title Vii, Chapter 2_long Term Care Ombudsman Services for Older Individuals $28 - 0

Contacts

Name Title Type
RQC9GY7Z15J7 Becky Walter Auditee
9704680295 Sam Hellwege Auditor
No contacts on file

Notes to SEFA

Title: NOTE 3 PRIOR YEAR EXPENSES INCLUDED AS 2022 SEFA EXPENDITURES Accounting Policies: Revenue from federal awards is recognized when the Council has done everything necessary to establish its right to revenue. For governmental funds, revenue from federal grants is recognized when it becomes both measurable and available. Expenditures of federal awards are recognized in the accounting period when the liability is incurred. The Northwest Colorado Council of Governments has elected to not use the 10-percent de minimis indirect cost rate as allowed under the Uniform Guidance. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: The auditee did not use the de minimis cost rate. Reported on the SEFA for the year ended December 31, 2022 is $725,714 of federal expenditures which were omitted from the SEFA for the year ended December 31, 2021, in aggregate for the Community Development Block Grant program with the identified assistance listing number 14.228.
Title: NOTE 1 BASIS OF PRESENTATION Accounting Policies: Revenue from federal awards is recognized when the Council has done everything necessary to establish its right to revenue. For governmental funds, revenue from federal grants is recognized when it becomes both measurable and available. Expenditures of federal awards are recognized in the accounting period when the liability is incurred. The Northwest Colorado Council of Governments has elected to not use the 10-percent de minimis indirect cost rate as allowed under the Uniform Guidance. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: The auditee did not use the de minimis cost rate. The accompanying schedule of expenditures of federal awards (the Schedule) includes the federal award activity of Northwest Colorado Council of Governments under programs of the federal government for the year ended December 31, 2022. The information in this Schedule is presented in accordance with the requirements of 2 CFR Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance). Because the Schedule presents only a selected portion of the operations of the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, it is not intended to and does not present the financial position or changes in net position of the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments.

Finding Details

Federal Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development Federal Program Title: Community Development Block Grants Assistance Listing Number: 14.228 Federal Award Identification Number and Year: B-22-DC-08-0001 - 2022 Pass-Through Agency: Colorado Department of Local Affairs Pass-Through Number: F16CDB16602 Award Period: April 1, 2020 ? March 31, 2024 Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Other Matter Criteria or Specific Requirement: 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Award requires compliance with the provisions of reporting. The Council should have internal controls designed to ensure compliance with those provisions. Condition: The Council did not prepare performance reports in 2022. Questioned Costs: None Context: In testing the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) program, the online portal for submitting reimbursement requests and reports has not been working since August 2022. However, the required performance reports were not being prepared by program personnel in the meantime. Cause: Performance reports were not being prepared because the portal was not functioning. Effect: The lack of preparation of performance reports provides an opportunity for noncompliance. Repeat Finding: No Recommendation: We recommend preparing the required reports under the CDBG program to be ready for uploading to the portal once it is accessible to ensure reporting requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials: There is no disagreement with the audit finding.
Federal Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development Federal Program Title: Community Development Block Grants Assistance Listing Number: 14.228 Federal Award Identification Number and Year: B-21-DC-08-0001 - 2021 Pass-Through Agency: Colorado Department of Local Affairs Pass-Through Number: F16CDB16602 Award Period: April 1, 2020 ? March 31, 2024 Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Other Matter Criteria or Specific Requirement: In accordance with the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), the Council should report all federal expenditures in the schedule of expenditures of federal awards (SEFA) each fiscal year. Additionally, per 2 CFR section 200.502(a)-(d), the determination of when a federal award is expended must be based on when the activity related to the federal award occurs, including the value of new loans made during the audit period. Condition: In reviewing the expenditure detail and supporting documentation for the 2022 SEFA, the Council had omitted approximately $726,000 of federal expenditures from the 2021 SEFA that were expended as part of the loan program in 2021. These loans were included in the SEFA for 2022 and audited as a major program for 2022. Questioned Costs: Unknown Context: The omission of expenditures from the 2021 SEFA was identified during testing of the current year major program. The seven omitted loans from 2021 were include in the 2022 loan activity for testing. Cause: In 2022, requests for reimbursement were submitted for certain loans distributed in 2021 that were not reflected on the 2021 SEFA. Effect: Excluding program expenditures from the SEFA results in the Council being out of compliance with the requirements of individual grant agreements and the Uniform Grant Guidance. Repeat Finding: No Recommendation: We recommend that the Council record federal expenditures on the SEFA under the program in the year upon which the loan disbursement occurs. Views of Responsible Officials: There is no disagreement with the audit finding.
Federal Agency: Department of Health and Human Services Federal Program Title: Aging Cluster Assistance Listing Number: 93.AGING Federal Award Identification Number and Year: 2101COSSC6-00 - 2021 Pass-Through Agency: Colorado Department of Human Services Pass-Through Number: None provided Award Period: February 1, 2021 ? September 30, 2023 Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Other Matter Criteria or Specific Requirement: 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Award requires charges to federal awards for salaries and wages be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must be supported by a system of internal controls which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated. Condition: One hourly employee?s wages was underpaid and were not charged to the grant when compared to the hours per the approved timesheet. Questioned Costs: None Context: For one payroll transaction of five tested, the hourly employee?s gross wages were underpaid and undercharged to the grant by $128 based on four hours that were improperly omitted from final payroll. Cause: Entering payroll into QuickBooks using the approved timesheet for hourly employees is a manual process. For this individual, the timesheet reported 84 hours of regular pay and four hours of paid staff leave. Four regular pay hours were improperly omitted from the hours paid as these were misinterpreted to be the four hours of paid hourly staff leave. Effect: For the June 30, 2022 pay period, the employee was underpaid, and the grant was undercharged a total of $128. Repeat Finding: The finding is a repeat of a finding in the immediately prior year. Prior year finding number was 2021-002. Recommendation: We recommend the Council review its payroll procedures over hourly employees to ensure all hours are properly accounted for by pay code in the final payroll. Views of Responsible Officials: There is no disagreement with the audit finding.
Federal Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development Federal Program Title: Community Development Block Grants Assistance Listing Number: 14.228 Federal Award Identification Number and Year: B-22-DC-08-0001 - 2022 Pass-Through Agency: Colorado Department of Local Affairs Pass-Through Number: F16CDB16602 Award Period: April 1, 2020 ? March 31, 2024 Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Other Matter Criteria or Specific Requirement: 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Award requires compliance with the provisions of reporting. The Council should have internal controls designed to ensure compliance with those provisions. Condition: The Council did not prepare performance reports in 2022. Questioned Costs: None Context: In testing the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) program, the online portal for submitting reimbursement requests and reports has not been working since August 2022. However, the required performance reports were not being prepared by program personnel in the meantime. Cause: Performance reports were not being prepared because the portal was not functioning. Effect: The lack of preparation of performance reports provides an opportunity for noncompliance. Repeat Finding: No Recommendation: We recommend preparing the required reports under the CDBG program to be ready for uploading to the portal once it is accessible to ensure reporting requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials: There is no disagreement with the audit finding.
Federal Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development Federal Program Title: Community Development Block Grants Assistance Listing Number: 14.228 Federal Award Identification Number and Year: B-21-DC-08-0001 - 2021 Pass-Through Agency: Colorado Department of Local Affairs Pass-Through Number: F16CDB16602 Award Period: April 1, 2020 ? March 31, 2024 Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Other Matter Criteria or Specific Requirement: In accordance with the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), the Council should report all federal expenditures in the schedule of expenditures of federal awards (SEFA) each fiscal year. Additionally, per 2 CFR section 200.502(a)-(d), the determination of when a federal award is expended must be based on when the activity related to the federal award occurs, including the value of new loans made during the audit period. Condition: In reviewing the expenditure detail and supporting documentation for the 2022 SEFA, the Council had omitted approximately $726,000 of federal expenditures from the 2021 SEFA that were expended as part of the loan program in 2021. These loans were included in the SEFA for 2022 and audited as a major program for 2022. Questioned Costs: Unknown Context: The omission of expenditures from the 2021 SEFA was identified during testing of the current year major program. The seven omitted loans from 2021 were include in the 2022 loan activity for testing. Cause: In 2022, requests for reimbursement were submitted for certain loans distributed in 2021 that were not reflected on the 2021 SEFA. Effect: Excluding program expenditures from the SEFA results in the Council being out of compliance with the requirements of individual grant agreements and the Uniform Grant Guidance. Repeat Finding: No Recommendation: We recommend that the Council record federal expenditures on the SEFA under the program in the year upon which the loan disbursement occurs. Views of Responsible Officials: There is no disagreement with the audit finding.
Federal Agency: Department of Health and Human Services Federal Program Title: Aging Cluster Assistance Listing Number: 93.AGING Federal Award Identification Number and Year: 2101COSSC6-00 - 2021 Pass-Through Agency: Colorado Department of Human Services Pass-Through Number: None provided Award Period: February 1, 2021 ? September 30, 2023 Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Other Matter Criteria or Specific Requirement: 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Award requires charges to federal awards for salaries and wages be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must be supported by a system of internal controls which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated. Condition: One hourly employee?s wages was underpaid and were not charged to the grant when compared to the hours per the approved timesheet. Questioned Costs: None Context: For one payroll transaction of five tested, the hourly employee?s gross wages were underpaid and undercharged to the grant by $128 based on four hours that were improperly omitted from final payroll. Cause: Entering payroll into QuickBooks using the approved timesheet for hourly employees is a manual process. For this individual, the timesheet reported 84 hours of regular pay and four hours of paid staff leave. Four regular pay hours were improperly omitted from the hours paid as these were misinterpreted to be the four hours of paid hourly staff leave. Effect: For the June 30, 2022 pay period, the employee was underpaid, and the grant was undercharged a total of $128. Repeat Finding: The finding is a repeat of a finding in the immediately prior year. Prior year finding number was 2021-002. Recommendation: We recommend the Council review its payroll procedures over hourly employees to ensure all hours are properly accounted for by pay code in the final payroll. Views of Responsible Officials: There is no disagreement with the audit finding.