FAC Explorer

Audit 409454

FY End
2025-06-30
Total Expended
$2.57M
Findings
1
Programs
6
Organization: Town of Highgate, Vermont (VT)
Year: 2025 Accepted: 2026-08-19
Auditor: SULLIVAN POWERS & CO

Organization Exclusion Status:

Findings

ID Ref Severity Repeat Requirement
1227364 2025-002 Material Weakness Yes L

Programs

ALN Program Spent Major Findings
11.300 INVESTMENTS FOR PUBLIC WORKS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FACILITIES $1.28M Yes 1
21.027 CORONAVIRUS STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS $457,359 Yes 0
97.039 HAZARD MITIGATION GRANT $343,353 Yes 0
90.601 NORTHERN BORDER REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT $300,570 Yes 0
97.036 DISASTER GRANTS - PUBLIC ASSISTANCE (PRESIDENTIALLY DECLARED DISASTERS) $10,627 Yes 0
97.047 BRIC: BUILDING RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES $2,458 Yes 0

Contacts

Name Title Type
EHN6MY4BJ337 Shelley Laroche Auditee
8028684697 Richard Brigham Auditor
No contacts on file

Notes to SEFA

The accompanying Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (the Schedule) includes the federal award activity of Town of Highgate, Vermont under programs of the federal government for the year ended June 30, 2025. The information in this Schedule 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 Schedule presents only a selected portion of the operations of the Town of Highgate, Vermont, it is not intended to and does not present the financial position, changes in net position or cash flows.

Finding Details

Finding 2025-002
Classification: Material Weakness in Internal Control Over Compliance/Instance of Noncompliance Federal Awarding Agency: U.S. Department of Commerce Federal Program: Investments for Public Works and Economic Development Facilities Assistance Listings Number (ALN): 11.300 Federal Award Number and Year: 01-01-15333 (2022) Repeat Finding: No Statistically Valid Sample: No (Sample size: 0 reports tested; Universe size: 2 reports required) Subject: Failure to File Required Semi-Annual SF-425 Reports Criteria: In accordance with 2 CFR Section 200.328 and the specific grant award terms and conditions, grant recipients must monitor their federally sponsored activities to ensure compliance with applicable federal requirements. The grant agreement mandates the submission of a Standard Form 425 (SF-425) Federal Financial Report on a semi-annual basis. These reports are due no later than 30 calendar days after the end of each semi-annual reporting period. Condition: The Town did not submit any of the required semi-annual SF-425 Federal Financial Reports for the reporting periods ending September 30, 2024, and March 31, 2025. Out of a total universe of 2 required financial reports for the fiscal year, 0 were filed or available for testing. Cause: The failure to submit the reports was caused by a lack of internal controls and assigned staff oversight regarding grant reporting requirements. Effect: The Town is in non-compliance with federal reporting guidelines under Uniform Guidance. Failing to submit required financial reports prevents the federal awarding agency from monitoring the financial progress of the award. This can lead to a suspension of grant drawdowns or a withholding of future federal funding allocations. Questioned Costs: None noted. No unallowable expenditures were identified during testing but the necessary administrative transparency was compromised. Recommendation: We recommend that the Town implement a formalized grant tracking system that records all key filing deadlines upon award acceptance. Management should explicitly assign the responsibility of preparing, reviewing, and submitting the SF-425 reports to specific personnel within the Finance Department to ensure timely reporting compliance moving forward.