Finding 1155311 (2023-017)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
A
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2023
Accepted
2025-09-25
Audit: 367551
Organization: The City of Frederick, Maryland (MD)
Auditor: Brown Plus

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: There is a significant deficiency in internal controls regarding payroll documentation for the Emergency Solutions Grant Program.
  • Impacted Requirements: Federal regulations require accurate records for salary allocations to support claims on federal awards.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Program staff must maintain proper documentation for payroll allocations and ensure timesheets reflect hours worked on each program.

Finding Text

Federal Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development Federal Program: 14.231 Emergency Solutions Grant Program Pass-Through Entity: Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Identification Number: E-20-DW-24-0001 Requirement: Activities Allowed or Unallowed Type of Finding: Significant deficiency in internal control over major program Criteria: Charges to federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must support the distribution of the employee’s salary or wages among specific activities or cost objectives if the employee works on more than one federal award; a federal award and non-federal award; an indirect cost activity and a direct cost activity; two or more indirect activities which are allocated using different allocation bases or an unallowable activity and a direct or indirect cost activity. Condition: Support for payroll costs claimed under the program was not maintained for all pay periods. Cause: Supporting documentation is not maintained for payroll allocations. Effect: Failure to allocate employee pay in accordance with federal requirements could result in a loss of funding. Context: Out of five pay periods tested, two pay periods excluded an allocation of a program employee’s time. For the remaining three pay periods, the aforementioned program employee was allocated to the program but no documentation was maintained supporting the allocation. Recommendation: The Emergency Solutions program staff should maintain support and rationale for all allocations of payroll costs for employees charged to federal awards. Additionally, employees should earmark their timesheets with the number of hours worked on each program. Views of Responsible Official(s) and Planned Corrective Actions: See corrective action plan.

Corrective Action Plan

The City has developed a Personnel Activity Report (PAR) that has each federal grant program available as a drop-down menu item. Employees will be required to indicate time spent on grant activities daily. This PAR will be reviewed an approved by the employees' supervisor and then submitted to Payroll for allocation to appropriate grant funds. The PAR will be retained by Payroll as backup.

Categories

Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking Subrecipient Monitoring Significant Deficiency

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1155297 2023-003
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1155298 2023-004
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1155299 2023-005
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1155300 2023-006
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1155301 2023-007
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1155302 2023-008
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1155303 2023-009
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1155304 2023-010
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1155305 2023-011
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1155306 2023-012
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1155307 2023-013
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1155308 2023-014
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1155309 2023-015
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1155310 2023-016
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1155312 2023-018
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
20.106 Airport Improvement Program, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Programs, and Covid-19 Airports Programs $4.30M
93.224 Health Center Program (community Health Centers, Migrant Health Centers, Health Care for the Homeless, and Public Housing Primary Care) $2.21M
93.137 Community Programs to Improve Minority Health $2.07M
14.231 Emergency Solutions Grant Program $1.03M
10.558 Child and Adult Care Food Program $996,154
93.568 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance $960,360
21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $786,960
93.569 Community Services Block Grant $452,538
14.218 Community Development Block Grants/entitlement Grants $271,995
14.267 Continuum of Care Program $184,808
16.745 Criminal and Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program $94,827
21.026 Homeowner Assistance Fund $85,771
93.150 Projects for Assistance in Transition From Homelessness (path) $74,103
81.042 Weatherization Assistance for Low-Income Persons $62,520
16.753 Congressionally Recommended Awards $41,550
16.738 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program $26,732
10.559 Summer Food Service Program for Children $26,497
93.499 Low Income Household Water Assistance Program $18,086
97.067 Homeland Security Grant Program $14,280
20.600 State and Community Highway Safety $14,003
95.001 High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program $13,275
66.466 Geographic Programs - Chesapeake Bay Program $11,325
20.616 National Priority Safety Programs $8,554
66.818 Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Cooperative Agreements $2,487