Audit 320891

FY End
2023-12-31
Total Expended
$8.36M
Findings
10
Programs
2
Organization: Town of Frankton (IN)
Year: 2023 Accepted: 2024-09-25

Organization Exclusion Status:

Checking exclusion status...

Findings

ID Ref Severity Repeat Requirement
498158 2023-003 Material Weakness - I
498159 2023-004 Material Weakness - F
498160 2023-005 Material Weakness - I
498161 2023-005 Material Weakness - I
498162 2023-006 Material Weakness - L
1074600 2023-003 Material Weakness - I
1074601 2023-004 Material Weakness - F
1074602 2023-005 Material Weakness - I
1074603 2023-005 Material Weakness - I
1074604 2023-006 Material Weakness - L

Programs

ALN Program Spent Major Findings
10.760 Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities $6.65M Yes 2
21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $1.43M Yes 1

Contacts

Name Title Type
JFM5DFTMM3C5 Tim Detrick Auditee
7657547285 Beth Kelley, Cpa, Cfe Auditor
No contacts on file

Notes to SEFA

Accounting Policies: Note 1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies A. Basis of Presentation The accompanying Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) includes the federal grant activity of the Town under programs of the federal government for the year ended December 31, 2023. The information in the SEFA is presented in accordance with the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance). Because the SEFA presents only a select portion of the operations of the Town, it is not intended to and does not present the financial position of the Town. B. Other Significant Accounting Policies Expenditures reported on the SEFA are reported on the cash basis of accounting. Such expenditures are recognized following, as applicable, either the cost principles in OMB Circular A-87, Cost Principles for State, Local, and Indian Tribal Governments, or the cost principles contained in the Uniform Guidance, wherein certain types of expenditures are not allowed or are limited as to reimbursement. When federal grants are received on a reimbursement basis, the federal awards are considered expended when the reimbursement is received. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: Note 2. Indirect Cost Rate The Town has elected not to use the 10 percent de minimis indirect cost rate allowed under the Uniform Guidance.

Finding Details

FINDING 2023-003 Subject: Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture Federal Program: Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities Assistance Listings Number: 10.760 Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): FY 2023 Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Condition and Context Procurement - Policy The Town did not have an approved procurement policy that reflected applicable state laws and regulations including procedures to avoid acquisition of unnecessary or duplicative items and procedures to ensure that all solicitations incorporate a clear and accurate description of the technical requirements for the material, product, or service to be procured. The Town is required to have and use documented procurement procedures, which are consistent with state, local, and tribal laws and regulations and the standards of this section, for the acquisition of property or services required under a federal award or subaward. Suspension and Debarment Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with the Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities award funds, recipients are required to verify that such contracts and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded under procurement and nonprocurement transactions (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000. The verification is to be done by checking SAM exclusions, collecting a certification from that person, or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person. Upon inquiry of the Town to determine its policies and procedures related to suspension and debarment requirements, the Town stated that a suspension and debarment clause is included in contracts. Contracts are reviewed by the President of the Town Council. Four covered transactions, totaling $20,152,969, were identified and tested. The Town could not provide documentation that procedures were performed to verify that three of the four vendors paid from the Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities award funds with contracts over $25,000 were not excluded or disqualified from participation in federal programs. Additionally, the Town had two agreements subject to the Buy America Build America (BABA) provisions. The Town could not provide documentation that procedures were performed to ensure the Buy America domestic preference provisions were included in either agreement nor was a BABA waiver obtained. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 19 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systematic issues throughout the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." 2 CFR 200.318(a) states: "The non-Federal entity must have and use documented procurement procedures, consistent with State, local, and tribal laws and regulations and the standards of this section, for the acquisition of property or services required under a Federal award or subaward. The non- Federal entity's documented procurement procedures must conform to the procurement standards identified in §§ 200.317 through 200.327." 2 CFR 180.300 states: "When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You do this by: (a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or (b) Collecting a certification from that person; or (c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person." 2 CFR 184.4 states in part: "(a) Applicability of Buy America Preference to infrastructure projects. The Buy America Preference applies to Federal awards where funds are appropriated or otherwise made available for infrastructure projects in the United States, regardless of whether infrastructure is the primary purpose of the Federal award. (b) Including the Buy America Preference in Federal awards. All Federal awards with infrastructure projects must include the Buy America Preference in the terms and conditions. The Buy America Preference must be included in all subawards, contracts, and purchase orders for the work performed, or products supplied under the Federal award. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause A proper system of internal controls was not designed by the management of the Town. Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the Town's management statements of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies. The Clerk-Treasurer was new to the position as of January 1, 2024. The former Clerk-Treasurer was not knowledgeable on the compliance requirements of the federal award. The Town contracted with outside engineers to manage the compliance requirement, and there was no documentation that BABA provisions or a waiver was obtained for the contracts nor that they included a suspension or debarment clause. Lastly, a procurement policy nor documentation that vendors were not suspended or debarred was not provided for review. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance. As a result, vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were not verified to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. In addition, the BABA provisions were not appropriately included in infrastructure projects. Any program funds the Town used to pay vendors that have been suspended or debarred would be unallowable, and the funding agency could potentially recover them. Additionally, noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the Town. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the Town establish documented procurement procedures consistent with state and local laws for the acquisition of property or services required under a federal award or subaward as outlined in the code of federal regulations. In addition, we recommended that the Town strengthen its system of internal controls to ensure that all vendors that are paid $25,000 or more, all or in part with federal funds, are not suspended or debarred from participating in federal programs before entering into any covered transactions. Lastly, we recommended that the Town ensure all applicable contracts contain the required BABA provisions. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-004 Subject: Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities - Equipment and Real Property Management Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture Federal Program: Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities Assistance Listings Number: 10.760 Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): FY 2023 Compliance Requirement: Equipment and Real Property Management Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Condition and Context The Town had not properly designed or implemented a system of internal controls, which would include appropriate segregation of duties, that would likely be effective in preventing, or detecting and correcting, noncompliance. A property record or capital asset listing, which would include the information listed below, is to be maintained for assets purchased that exceed the Town's capitalization threshold. In addition, a physical inventory of all capital assets should be completed at least every two years. Capital Asset Listing Information  A description of the property.  A serial number or other identification number.  The source of funding for the property (including the federal award identification number (FAIN)).  Who holds title.  The acquisition date.  Cost of the property.  Percentage of federal participation in the project costs for the federal award under which the property was acquired.  The location.  Use and condition of the property. The Town purchased one asset, totaling $477,750, which exceeded the Town's capitalization threshold. The asset was determined not to have been recorded in property records, nor was the asset on the inventory listing. Additionally, the Town did not complete a capital asset inventory every two years as required. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." 2 CFR 200.313(d) states in part: "Management requirements. Procedures for managing equipment (including replacement equipment), whether acquired in whole or in part under a Federal award, until disposition takes place will, as a minimum, meet the following requirements: (1) Property records must be maintained that include a description of the property, a serial number or other identification number, the source of funding for the property (including the FAIN), who holds title, the acquisition date, and cost of the property, percentage of Federal participation in the project costs for the Federal award under which the property was acquired, the location, use and condition of the property, and any ultimate disposition data including the date of disposal and sale price of the property. (2) A physical inventory of the property must be taken and the results reconciled with the property records at least once every two years. (3) A control system must be developed to ensure adequate safeguards to prevent loss, damage, or theft of the property. Any loss, damage, or theft must be investigated. . . ." Cause A proper system of internal controls was not designed by the management of the Town. Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the Town's management statements of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies. The Clerk-Treasurer was new to the position as of January 1, 2024. The former Clerk-Treasurer was not knowledgeable on the compliance requirements of the federal award. The Town contracted with outside engineers to manage the compliance requirement, and there was no documentation that an inventory of capital assets had been completed. Additionally, the provided capital asset listing did not include the asset in question. Lastly, the capital asset listing included items that were under the capital asset threshold in the Town's Capital Asset Policy. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 23 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, including policies and procedures that provide segregation of duties and additional oversight as needed, the internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance. As such, a capital asset purchased with federal funds was not properly recorded in a capital asset ledger, and a physical inventory was not performed. Noncompliance with the provisions of federal regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the Town. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that management of the Town design and implement a proper system of internal controls, including policies and procedures that would provide segregation of duties to ensure capital assets purchased with federal funds are included on a capital asset ledger and that a physical inventory is performed every two years. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-005 Subject: COVID-19 - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury Federal Program: COVID-19 - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Assistance Listings Number: 21.027 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): CY 2021; TRSW221148 Pass-Through Agency: Indiana Finance Authority Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Condition and Context The Town elected to receive the standard revenue loss allowance, allowing the Town to claim its total direct State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) allocation of $416,087 as revenue loss to use for government services. As such, all SLFRF program funds to date were expended under the revenue loss eligible use category. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) determined that there are no subawards under this eligible use category, and that recipients' use of revenue loss funds would not give rise to subrecipient relationships as there is no federal program or purpose to carry out in the case of the revenue loss portion of the award. The Town also received $1,428,334 in State Water Infrastructure Fund (SWIF) distributions which were funded with SLFRF dollars and were subject to the suspension and debarment requirements. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with SLFRF award funds, recipients are required to verify that such contracts and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded under procurement and nonprocurement transactions (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000. The verification is to be done by checking the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS), collecting a certification from that person or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person. Due to the Treasury's determination that the revenue loss eligible use category does not give rise to subawards, the Town was only required to comply with suspension and debarment requirements related to covered transactions for revenue replacement. Upon inquiry of the Town to determine its policies and procedures related to suspension and debarment requirements, the Town stated that it did not have policies or procedures in place for verifying that an entity with which it plans to enter into a covered transaction is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded or disqualified from participating in federal assistance programs or activities. Six covered transactions, totaling $1,652,832, to three different vendors for goods or services that equaled or exceeded $25,000 that were paid from SLFRF funds were identified. Each transaction was examined to determine whether the Town verified the suspension and debarment status prior to payment. The Town had not verified the vendor's suspension and debarment status for any of the six covered transactions prior to issuing payment. Description Amount Stormwater drain installation (4 transactions, 1 vendor) $ 1 ,540,011 Police Cars (1 transaction, 1 vendor) 85,140 Equipment for police cars (1 transaction, 1 vendor) 27,681 Covered Transactions Tested Additionally, the Town had one agreement subject to the Buy America Build America (BABA) provisions. The Town could not provide documentation that procedures were performed to ensure the Buy America domestic preference provisions were included in either agreement nor was a BABA waiver obtained. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systematic issues throughout the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 25 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 31 CFR 19.300 states: "When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You do this by: (a) Checking the EPLS; or (b) Collecting a certification from that person if allowed by this rule; or (c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person." 2 CFR 184.4 states in part: "(a) Applicability of Buy America Preference to infrastructure projects. The Buy America Preference applies to Federal awards where funds are appropriated or otherwise made available for infrastructure projects in the United States, regardless of whether infrastructure is the primary purpose of the Federal award. (b) Including the Buy America Preference in Federal awards. All Federal awards with infrastructure projects must include the Buy America Preference in the terms and conditions. The Buy America Preference must be included in all subawards, contracts, and purchase orders for the work performed, or products supplied under the Federal award. . . ." Cause A proper system of internal controls was not designed by the management of the Town. Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the Town's management statements of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies. The Clerk-Treasurer was new to the position as of January 1, 2024. The former Clerk-Treasurer was not knowledgeable on the compliance requirements of the federal award. The Town contracted with outside engineers to manage the compliance requirement, and there was no documentation that BABA provisions or a waiver was obtained for the contracts nor that they included a suspension or debarment clause. Lastly, documentation that vendors were not suspended or debarred was not provided for review. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance. As a result, vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were not verified to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. In addition, the BABA provisions were not appropriately included in infrastructure projects. Any program funds the Town used to pay vendors that have been suspended or debarred would be unallowable, and the funding agency could potentially recover them. Additionally, noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the Town. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 26 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Recommendation We recommended that the Town strengthen its system of internal controls to ensure that all vendors that are paid $25,000 or more, all or in part with federal funds, are not suspended or debarred from participating in federal programs before entering into any covered transactions. In addition, we recommended that the Town ensure all applicable contracts contain the required BABA provisions. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-005 Subject: COVID-19 - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury Federal Program: COVID-19 - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Assistance Listings Number: 21.027 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): CY 2021; TRSW221148 Pass-Through Agency: Indiana Finance Authority Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Condition and Context The Town elected to receive the standard revenue loss allowance, allowing the Town to claim its total direct State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) allocation of $416,087 as revenue loss to use for government services. As such, all SLFRF program funds to date were expended under the revenue loss eligible use category. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) determined that there are no subawards under this eligible use category, and that recipients' use of revenue loss funds would not give rise to subrecipient relationships as there is no federal program or purpose to carry out in the case of the revenue loss portion of the award. The Town also received $1,428,334 in State Water Infrastructure Fund (SWIF) distributions which were funded with SLFRF dollars and were subject to the suspension and debarment requirements. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with SLFRF award funds, recipients are required to verify that such contracts and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded under procurement and nonprocurement transactions (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000. The verification is to be done by checking the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS), collecting a certification from that person or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person. Due to the Treasury's determination that the revenue loss eligible use category does not give rise to subawards, the Town was only required to comply with suspension and debarment requirements related to covered transactions for revenue replacement. Upon inquiry of the Town to determine its policies and procedures related to suspension and debarment requirements, the Town stated that it did not have policies or procedures in place for verifying that an entity with which it plans to enter into a covered transaction is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded or disqualified from participating in federal assistance programs or activities. Six covered transactions, totaling $1,652,832, to three different vendors for goods or services that equaled or exceeded $25,000 that were paid from SLFRF funds were identified. Each transaction was examined to determine whether the Town verified the suspension and debarment status prior to payment. The Town had not verified the vendor's suspension and debarment status for any of the six covered transactions prior to issuing payment. Description Amount Stormwater drain installation (4 transactions, 1 vendor) $ 1 ,540,011 Police Cars (1 transaction, 1 vendor) 85,140 Equipment for police cars (1 transaction, 1 vendor) 27,681 Covered Transactions Tested Additionally, the Town had one agreement subject to the Buy America Build America (BABA) provisions. The Town could not provide documentation that procedures were performed to ensure the Buy America domestic preference provisions were included in either agreement nor was a BABA waiver obtained. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systematic issues throughout the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 25 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 31 CFR 19.300 states: "When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You do this by: (a) Checking the EPLS; or (b) Collecting a certification from that person if allowed by this rule; or (c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person." 2 CFR 184.4 states in part: "(a) Applicability of Buy America Preference to infrastructure projects. The Buy America Preference applies to Federal awards where funds are appropriated or otherwise made available for infrastructure projects in the United States, regardless of whether infrastructure is the primary purpose of the Federal award. (b) Including the Buy America Preference in Federal awards. All Federal awards with infrastructure projects must include the Buy America Preference in the terms and conditions. The Buy America Preference must be included in all subawards, contracts, and purchase orders for the work performed, or products supplied under the Federal award. . . ." Cause A proper system of internal controls was not designed by the management of the Town. Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the Town's management statements of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies. The Clerk-Treasurer was new to the position as of January 1, 2024. The former Clerk-Treasurer was not knowledgeable on the compliance requirements of the federal award. The Town contracted with outside engineers to manage the compliance requirement, and there was no documentation that BABA provisions or a waiver was obtained for the contracts nor that they included a suspension or debarment clause. Lastly, documentation that vendors were not suspended or debarred was not provided for review. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance. As a result, vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were not verified to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. In addition, the BABA provisions were not appropriately included in infrastructure projects. Any program funds the Town used to pay vendors that have been suspended or debarred would be unallowable, and the funding agency could potentially recover them. Additionally, noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the Town. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 26 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Recommendation We recommended that the Town strengthen its system of internal controls to ensure that all vendors that are paid $25,000 or more, all or in part with federal funds, are not suspended or debarred from participating in federal programs before entering into any covered transactions. In addition, we recommended that the Town ensure all applicable contracts contain the required BABA provisions. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-006 Subject: COVID-19 - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury Federal Program: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Assistance Listings Number: 21.027 Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): CY 2021 Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Finding: Material Weakness Condition and Context Recipients of State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) grants are required to submit quarterly or annually Project and Expenditure (P&E) reports to the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury). The reporting periods, as well as the respective due dates, are based upon type of recipient and its population, as well as the recipient's allocation amount. Information to be reported includes projects funded, expenditures, and contracts for the appropriate reporting period. The Town was classified as a Tier 5 auditee - a metropolitan city with a population below 250,000 residents which received less than $10 million in SLFRF funding. Tier 5 auditees are required to submit an annual P&E report due in April of each year. The Town was required to file an annual P&E report on April 30, 2023. The report was to cover the period of April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023. The Town presented this report for audit; however, there were no documented internal controls in place over the Reporting compliance requirement. The lack of internal controls was a systemic issue during the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 27 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause A proper system of internal controls over the P&E reports was not designed by management of the Town. Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the Town's management statements of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies. The Town had a systemic lack of internal controls which resulted in the lack of internal controls over the annual P&E report. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance. As a result, the Town did not complete a required report, and the Treasury does not have information on how the Town is spending its funding. Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the Town. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the Town's management design and implement a proper system of internal controls, including policies and procedures to ensure that the Town provides the Treasury with complete and accurate information for the P&E report. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-003 Subject: Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture Federal Program: Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities Assistance Listings Number: 10.760 Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): FY 2023 Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Condition and Context Procurement - Policy The Town did not have an approved procurement policy that reflected applicable state laws and regulations including procedures to avoid acquisition of unnecessary or duplicative items and procedures to ensure that all solicitations incorporate a clear and accurate description of the technical requirements for the material, product, or service to be procured. The Town is required to have and use documented procurement procedures, which are consistent with state, local, and tribal laws and regulations and the standards of this section, for the acquisition of property or services required under a federal award or subaward. Suspension and Debarment Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with the Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities award funds, recipients are required to verify that such contracts and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded under procurement and nonprocurement transactions (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000. The verification is to be done by checking SAM exclusions, collecting a certification from that person, or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person. Upon inquiry of the Town to determine its policies and procedures related to suspension and debarment requirements, the Town stated that a suspension and debarment clause is included in contracts. Contracts are reviewed by the President of the Town Council. Four covered transactions, totaling $20,152,969, were identified and tested. The Town could not provide documentation that procedures were performed to verify that three of the four vendors paid from the Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities award funds with contracts over $25,000 were not excluded or disqualified from participation in federal programs. Additionally, the Town had two agreements subject to the Buy America Build America (BABA) provisions. The Town could not provide documentation that procedures were performed to ensure the Buy America domestic preference provisions were included in either agreement nor was a BABA waiver obtained. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 19 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systematic issues throughout the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." 2 CFR 200.318(a) states: "The non-Federal entity must have and use documented procurement procedures, consistent with State, local, and tribal laws and regulations and the standards of this section, for the acquisition of property or services required under a Federal award or subaward. The non- Federal entity's documented procurement procedures must conform to the procurement standards identified in §§ 200.317 through 200.327." 2 CFR 180.300 states: "When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You do this by: (a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or (b) Collecting a certification from that person; or (c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person." 2 CFR 184.4 states in part: "(a) Applicability of Buy America Preference to infrastructure projects. The Buy America Preference applies to Federal awards where funds are appropriated or otherwise made available for infrastructure projects in the United States, regardless of whether infrastructure is the primary purpose of the Federal award. (b) Including the Buy America Preference in Federal awards. All Federal awards with infrastructure projects must include the Buy America Preference in the terms and conditions. The Buy America Preference must be included in all subawards, contracts, and purchase orders for the work performed, or products supplied under the Federal award. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause A proper system of internal controls was not designed by the management of the Town. Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the Town's management statements of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies. The Clerk-Treasurer was new to the position as of January 1, 2024. The former Clerk-Treasurer was not knowledgeable on the compliance requirements of the federal award. The Town contracted with outside engineers to manage the compliance requirement, and there was no documentation that BABA provisions or a waiver was obtained for the contracts nor that they included a suspension or debarment clause. Lastly, a procurement policy nor documentation that vendors were not suspended or debarred was not provided for review. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance. As a result, vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were not verified to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. In addition, the BABA provisions were not appropriately included in infrastructure projects. Any program funds the Town used to pay vendors that have been suspended or debarred would be unallowable, and the funding agency could potentially recover them. Additionally, noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the Town. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the Town establish documented procurement procedures consistent with state and local laws for the acquisition of property or services required under a federal award or subaward as outlined in the code of federal regulations. In addition, we recommended that the Town strengthen its system of internal controls to ensure that all vendors that are paid $25,000 or more, all or in part with federal funds, are not suspended or debarred from participating in federal programs before entering into any covered transactions. Lastly, we recommended that the Town ensure all applicable contracts contain the required BABA provisions. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-004 Subject: Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities - Equipment and Real Property Management Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture Federal Program: Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities Assistance Listings Number: 10.760 Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): FY 2023 Compliance Requirement: Equipment and Real Property Management Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Condition and Context The Town had not properly designed or implemented a system of internal controls, which would include appropriate segregation of duties, that would likely be effective in preventing, or detecting and correcting, noncompliance. A property record or capital asset listing, which would include the information listed below, is to be maintained for assets purchased that exceed the Town's capitalization threshold. In addition, a physical inventory of all capital assets should be completed at least every two years. Capital Asset Listing Information  A description of the property.  A serial number or other identification number.  The source of funding for the property (including the federal award identification number (FAIN)).  Who holds title.  The acquisition date.  Cost of the property.  Percentage of federal participation in the project costs for the federal award under which the property was acquired.  The location.  Use and condition of the property. The Town purchased one asset, totaling $477,750, which exceeded the Town's capitalization threshold. The asset was determined not to have been recorded in property records, nor was the asset on the inventory listing. Additionally, the Town did not complete a capital asset inventory every two years as required. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." 2 CFR 200.313(d) states in part: "Management requirements. Procedures for managing equipment (including replacement equipment), whether acquired in whole or in part under a Federal award, until disposition takes place will, as a minimum, meet the following requirements: (1) Property records must be maintained that include a description of the property, a serial number or other identification number, the source of funding for the property (including the FAIN), who holds title, the acquisition date, and cost of the property, percentage of Federal participation in the project costs for the Federal award under which the property was acquired, the location, use and condition of the property, and any ultimate disposition data including the date of disposal and sale price of the property. (2) A physical inventory of the property must be taken and the results reconciled with the property records at least once every two years. (3) A control system must be developed to ensure adequate safeguards to prevent loss, damage, or theft of the property. Any loss, damage, or theft must be investigated. . . ." Cause A proper system of internal controls was not designed by the management of the Town. Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the Town's management statements of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies. The Clerk-Treasurer was new to the position as of January 1, 2024. The former Clerk-Treasurer was not knowledgeable on the compliance requirements of the federal award. The Town contracted with outside engineers to manage the compliance requirement, and there was no documentation that an inventory of capital assets had been completed. Additionally, the provided capital asset listing did not include the asset in question. Lastly, the capital asset listing included items that were under the capital asset threshold in the Town's Capital Asset Policy. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 23 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, including policies and procedures that provide segregation of duties and additional oversight as needed, the internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance. As such, a capital asset purchased with federal funds was not properly recorded in a capital asset ledger, and a physical inventory was not performed. Noncompliance with the provisions of federal regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the Town. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that management of the Town design and implement a proper system of internal controls, including policies and procedures that would provide segregation of duties to ensure capital assets purchased with federal funds are included on a capital asset ledger and that a physical inventory is performed every two years. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-005 Subject: COVID-19 - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury Federal Program: COVID-19 - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Assistance Listings Number: 21.027 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): CY 2021; TRSW221148 Pass-Through Agency: Indiana Finance Authority Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Condition and Context The Town elected to receive the standard revenue loss allowance, allowing the Town to claim its total direct State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) allocation of $416,087 as revenue loss to use for government services. As such, all SLFRF program funds to date were expended under the revenue loss eligible use category. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) determined that there are no subawards under this eligible use category, and that recipients' use of revenue loss funds would not give rise to subrecipient relationships as there is no federal program or purpose to carry out in the case of the revenue loss portion of the award. The Town also received $1,428,334 in State Water Infrastructure Fund (SWIF) distributions which were funded with SLFRF dollars and were subject to the suspension and debarment requirements. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with SLFRF award funds, recipients are required to verify that such contracts and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded under procurement and nonprocurement transactions (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000. The verification is to be done by checking the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS), collecting a certification from that person or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person. Due to the Treasury's determination that the revenue loss eligible use category does not give rise to subawards, the Town was only required to comply with suspension and debarment requirements related to covered transactions for revenue replacement. Upon inquiry of the Town to determine its policies and procedures related to suspension and debarment requirements, the Town stated that it did not have policies or procedures in place for verifying that an entity with which it plans to enter into a covered transaction is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded or disqualified from participating in federal assistance programs or activities. Six covered transactions, totaling $1,652,832, to three different vendors for goods or services that equaled or exceeded $25,000 that were paid from SLFRF funds were identified. Each transaction was examined to determine whether the Town verified the suspension and debarment status prior to payment. The Town had not verified the vendor's suspension and debarment status for any of the six covered transactions prior to issuing payment. Description Amount Stormwater drain installation (4 transactions, 1 vendor) $ 1 ,540,011 Police Cars (1 transaction, 1 vendor) 85,140 Equipment for police cars (1 transaction, 1 vendor) 27,681 Covered Transactions Tested Additionally, the Town had one agreement subject to the Buy America Build America (BABA) provisions. The Town could not provide documentation that procedures were performed to ensure the Buy America domestic preference provisions were included in either agreement nor was a BABA waiver obtained. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systematic issues throughout the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 25 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 31 CFR 19.300 states: "When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You do this by: (a) Checking the EPLS; or (b) Collecting a certification from that person if allowed by this rule; or (c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person." 2 CFR 184.4 states in part: "(a) Applicability of Buy America Preference to infrastructure projects. The Buy America Preference applies to Federal awards where funds are appropriated or otherwise made available for infrastructure projects in the United States, regardless of whether infrastructure is the primary purpose of the Federal award. (b) Including the Buy America Preference in Federal awards. All Federal awards with infrastructure projects must include the Buy America Preference in the terms and conditions. The Buy America Preference must be included in all subawards, contracts, and purchase orders for the work performed, or products supplied under the Federal award. . . ." Cause A proper system of internal controls was not designed by the management of the Town. Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the Town's management statements of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies. The Clerk-Treasurer was new to the position as of January 1, 2024. The former Clerk-Treasurer was not knowledgeable on the compliance requirements of the federal award. The Town contracted with outside engineers to manage the compliance requirement, and there was no documentation that BABA provisions or a waiver was obtained for the contracts nor that they included a suspension or debarment clause. Lastly, documentation that vendors were not suspended or debarred was not provided for review. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance. As a result, vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were not verified to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. In addition, the BABA provisions were not appropriately included in infrastructure projects. Any program funds the Town used to pay vendors that have been suspended or debarred would be unallowable, and the funding agency could potentially recover them. Additionally, noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the Town. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 26 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Recommendation We recommended that the Town strengthen its system of internal controls to ensure that all vendors that are paid $25,000 or more, all or in part with federal funds, are not suspended or debarred from participating in federal programs before entering into any covered transactions. In addition, we recommended that the Town ensure all applicable contracts contain the required BABA provisions. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-005 Subject: COVID-19 - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury Federal Program: COVID-19 - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Assistance Listings Number: 21.027 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): CY 2021; TRSW221148 Pass-Through Agency: Indiana Finance Authority Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Condition and Context The Town elected to receive the standard revenue loss allowance, allowing the Town to claim its total direct State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) allocation of $416,087 as revenue loss to use for government services. As such, all SLFRF program funds to date were expended under the revenue loss eligible use category. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) determined that there are no subawards under this eligible use category, and that recipients' use of revenue loss funds would not give rise to subrecipient relationships as there is no federal program or purpose to carry out in the case of the revenue loss portion of the award. The Town also received $1,428,334 in State Water Infrastructure Fund (SWIF) distributions which were funded with SLFRF dollars and were subject to the suspension and debarment requirements. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with SLFRF award funds, recipients are required to verify that such contracts and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded under procurement and nonprocurement transactions (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000. The verification is to be done by checking the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS), collecting a certification from that person or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person. Due to the Treasury's determination that the revenue loss eligible use category does not give rise to subawards, the Town was only required to comply with suspension and debarment requirements related to covered transactions for revenue replacement. Upon inquiry of the Town to determine its policies and procedures related to suspension and debarment requirements, the Town stated that it did not have policies or procedures in place for verifying that an entity with which it plans to enter into a covered transaction is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded or disqualified from participating in federal assistance programs or activities. Six covered transactions, totaling $1,652,832, to three different vendors for goods or services that equaled or exceeded $25,000 that were paid from SLFRF funds were identified. Each transaction was examined to determine whether the Town verified the suspension and debarment status prior to payment. The Town had not verified the vendor's suspension and debarment status for any of the six covered transactions prior to issuing payment. Description Amount Stormwater drain installation (4 transactions, 1 vendor) $ 1 ,540,011 Police Cars (1 transaction, 1 vendor) 85,140 Equipment for police cars (1 transaction, 1 vendor) 27,681 Covered Transactions Tested Additionally, the Town had one agreement subject to the Buy America Build America (BABA) provisions. The Town could not provide documentation that procedures were performed to ensure the Buy America domestic preference provisions were included in either agreement nor was a BABA waiver obtained. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systematic issues throughout the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 25 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 31 CFR 19.300 states: "When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You do this by: (a) Checking the EPLS; or (b) Collecting a certification from that person if allowed by this rule; or (c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person." 2 CFR 184.4 states in part: "(a) Applicability of Buy America Preference to infrastructure projects. The Buy America Preference applies to Federal awards where funds are appropriated or otherwise made available for infrastructure projects in the United States, regardless of whether infrastructure is the primary purpose of the Federal award. (b) Including the Buy America Preference in Federal awards. All Federal awards with infrastructure projects must include the Buy America Preference in the terms and conditions. The Buy America Preference must be included in all subawards, contracts, and purchase orders for the work performed, or products supplied under the Federal award. . . ." Cause A proper system of internal controls was not designed by the management of the Town. Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the Town's management statements of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies. The Clerk-Treasurer was new to the position as of January 1, 2024. The former Clerk-Treasurer was not knowledgeable on the compliance requirements of the federal award. The Town contracted with outside engineers to manage the compliance requirement, and there was no documentation that BABA provisions or a waiver was obtained for the contracts nor that they included a suspension or debarment clause. Lastly, documentation that vendors were not suspended or debarred was not provided for review. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance. As a result, vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were not verified to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. In addition, the BABA provisions were not appropriately included in infrastructure projects. Any program funds the Town used to pay vendors that have been suspended or debarred would be unallowable, and the funding agency could potentially recover them. Additionally, noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the Town. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 26 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Recommendation We recommended that the Town strengthen its system of internal controls to ensure that all vendors that are paid $25,000 or more, all or in part with federal funds, are not suspended or debarred from participating in federal programs before entering into any covered transactions. In addition, we recommended that the Town ensure all applicable contracts contain the required BABA provisions. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-006 Subject: COVID-19 - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury Federal Program: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Assistance Listings Number: 21.027 Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): CY 2021 Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Finding: Material Weakness Condition and Context Recipients of State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) grants are required to submit quarterly or annually Project and Expenditure (P&E) reports to the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury). The reporting periods, as well as the respective due dates, are based upon type of recipient and its population, as well as the recipient's allocation amount. Information to be reported includes projects funded, expenditures, and contracts for the appropriate reporting period. The Town was classified as a Tier 5 auditee - a metropolitan city with a population below 250,000 residents which received less than $10 million in SLFRF funding. Tier 5 auditees are required to submit an annual P&E report due in April of each year. The Town was required to file an annual P&E report on April 30, 2023. The report was to cover the period of April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023. The Town presented this report for audit; however, there were no documented internal controls in place over the Reporting compliance requirement. The lack of internal controls was a systemic issue during the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 27 TOWN OF FRANKTON SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause A proper system of internal controls over the P&E reports was not designed by management of the Town. Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the Town's management statements of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies. The Town had a systemic lack of internal controls which resulted in the lack of internal controls over the annual P&E report. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance. As a result, the Town did not complete a required report, and the Treasury does not have information on how the Town is spending its funding. Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the Town. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the Town's management design and implement a proper system of internal controls, including policies and procedures to ensure that the Town provides the Treasury with complete and accurate information for the P&E report. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.