Audit 403731

Federal Agency: United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Pass-Through Entity: Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs Assistance Listing Number: 14.231 Federal Program Name: Emergency Solutions Grants Program (“ESG”) Subrecipient Contract Number: 42246070038 Award Number: E24-DC-48-0001 Criteria Per the grant agreement and regulation 10 TAC §7.5, the Center is required to submit timely, complete, and accurate performance and expenditure reports in accordance with ESG contract requirements. The contract requires submission of monthly reports no later than the last day of each month following the preceding month during the contract term. Condition During our testing of reporting compliance for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2025, we selected a sample of four reports. Two of the four reports tested were not submitted by the required due dates, resulting in noncompliance with the grant reporting requirements. Cause Delays in reporting were caused by staff shortage in the accounting department due to employee leave of absence, which limited the Center’s ability to process billings and prepare and submit required grant reports timely. Effect Failure to submit required reports in a timely manner may result in noncompliance with grant requirements and could impact the federal agency’s ability to effectively monitor the program. Continued noncompliance could result in potential sanctions, including delayed funding or additional oversight. Questioned Costs None. Recommendation We recommend that management strengthen internal controls over grant reporting by implementing a formal tracking system to monitor reporting deadlines, assigning clear responsibility for report preparation and submission, and establishing a review process to ensure timely compliance with reporting requirements.

Federal Agency: United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Pass-Through Entity: Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs Assistance Listing Number: 14.231 Federal Program Name: Emergency Solutions Grants Program (“ESG”) Subrecipient Contract Number: 42246070038 Award Number: E24-DC-48-0001 Type of Finding: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles – Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance Criteria In accordance with 2 CFR §200.403 and §200.430, costs charged to federal awards must be allowable, allocable, and properly documented. Compensation for personnel services must be supported by records that accurately reflect the work performed and must be allocated to benefiting programs based on actual activity. In addition, the ESG contract requires that personnel costs charged to the grant be supported by accurate time distribution records that reflect actual time worked and allocate costs by specific program and funding source. Condition During testing of transactions charged to the ESG program, we noted that employee timesheets were not properly allocated by program. Payroll and related benefits charged to the program were not supported by documentation reflecting actual time spent on grant activities. While the Center maintains budget-based allocations in its accounting system, such allocations do not replace the requirement to allocate payroll costs based on actual time worked by program. Cause The payroll processing company used by the Center does not have the functionality to allocate employee time by program, and management did not implement compensating controls to ensure compliance with federal time-and-effort requirements. Effect As a result, payroll and related benefit costs charged to the ESG program were not properly supported or allocable in accordance with 2 CFR Part 200, resulting in questioned costs. These costs are subject to potential disallowance by the awarding agency and possible repayment from the Center. Questioned Costs and Likely Questioned Costs Based on the specific exceptions identified in our sample, known questioned costs totaled $4,662 for the period tested. Using the results of the sample and projecting the errors to the applicable population of transactions, we estimate likely questioned costs of $234,582 for the program. Recommendation We recommend that management strengthen internal controls over payroll and timekeeping allocation, including requiring detailed time tracking by program, enhanced supervisory review, and periodic internal monitoring. Management should also implement a review and approval process to ensure personnel costs charged to the program comply with contract terms and federal cost principles prior to reimbursement.

Federal Agency: United States Department of Justice Pass-Through Entity: Texas Office of the Governor Assistance Listing Number: 16.575 Federal Program Name: Victims of Crime Act (“VOCA”) Contract Number: 285706 and 285707 Federal Award Number: 15POVC-23-GG-00468-ASSI Type of Finding: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles – Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance Criteria In accordance with 2 CFR §200.403 and §200.430, costs charged to federal awards must be allowable, allocable, and properly documented. Compensation for personnel services must be supported by records that accurately reflect the work performed and must be allocated to benefiting programs based on actual activity. Condition During testing of transactions charged to the VOCA program, we noted that employee timesheets were not properly allocated by program. Payroll and related benefits charged to the program were not supported by documentation reflecting actual time spent on grant activities. While the Center maintains budget-based allocations in its accounting system, such allocations do not replace the requirement to allocate payroll costs based on actual time worked by program. Cause The payroll processing company used by the Center does not have the functionality to allocate employee time by program, and management did not implement compensating controls to ensure compliance with federal time-and-effort requirements. Effect As a result, payroll and related benefit costs charged to the VOCA program were not properly supported or allocable in accordance with 2 CFR Part 200, resulting in questioned costs. These costs are subject to potential disallowance by the awarding agency and possible repayment from the Center. Questioned Costs and Likely Questioned Costs Based on the specific exceptions identified in our sample, known questioned costs totaled $2,406 for the period tested. Using the results of the sample and projecting the errors to the applicable population of transactions, we estimate likely questioned costs of $178,546 for the program. Recommendation We recommend that management strengthen internal controls over payroll and timekeeping allocation, including requiring detailed time tracking by program, enhanced supervisory review, and periodic internal monitoring. Management should also implement a review and approval process to ensure personnel costs cha