The EBR Head Start Program follows the established financial policies, procedures, and approval processes administered through the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge. EBR Head Start does not maintain a separate set of finance procedures independent of the City-Parish. Rather, the pro...
The EBR Head Start Program follows the established financial policies, procedures, and approval processes administered through the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge. EBR Head Start does not maintain a separate set of finance procedures independent of the City-Parish. Rather, the program operates within the existing City-Parish framework. These processes include the review, approval, and monitoring of activities necessary to support compliance with applicable Federal requirements. The finding identified an opportunity for the Head Start Program to demonstrate how it applies and maintains evidence of these existing controls within the department. The Department of Transportation and Drainage will assess and improve its current guidelines and procedures for ensuring record-keeping compliance with all applicable federal requirements. Although currently being enforced, these remedies will include the following processes: Ensure applicable federal statute requirements are included in the contract advertisement, proposal and bid documents; Identifying and documenting when a contract can be sole sourced; Collecting and storing compliance documentation before, during and after contract execution; Internal audit for compliance; and additional controls identified during discussions between the Department of Transportation and Drainage and its consultants. While internal controls were informally in place for Airport, the department-wide documentation demonstrating the design and operating effectiveness of controls was not formalized. To address this and ensure full compliance with 2 CFR 200.303, management has initiated the following corrective actions: Development and formal adoption of comprehensive, written policies and procedures that explicitly define internal controls over each applicable compliance requirement, utilizing recognized frameworks such as COSO or the Green Book; Implementing a centralized or coordinated approach for maintaining internal control documentation to ensure consistency and guarantee that evidence of control activities is readily accessible; Establish a process for periodic reviews to verify that all applicable compliance documentation is complete, current, and aligned with federal requirements; Relevant staff and departmental personnel will undergo training on these formalized policies to reinforce expectations for documenting internal controls in accordance with Uniform Guidance. The Department of Environmental Services will assess and improve its current guidelines and procedures for documenting internal controls over federal awards and ensuring compliance with applicable federal requirements. These improvements will include developing formal department-level procedures, identifying and maintaining required compliance documentation, establishing consistent record-retention practices, periodically reviewing documentation for completeness and accuracy, providing guidance to appropriate staff, and implementing any additional controls identified as necessary to comply with 2 CFR Part 200.303. Expected Implementation Date: December 2026 Contact person: Kelly LeDuff, Executive Director/Community Development, Federal Programs & Outreach Mike Edwards, Director of Aviation, Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport Fred Raiford, Director, Transportation and Drainage Adam Smith, Director, Environmental Services