Finding Text
2024-005 ALN 14.850 – Public Housing Operating Fund – Special Test – Public Housing Utility Operating Fund Requirements Condition and Criteria: Per 24 CFR § 990.170, a Public Housing Agency (PHA) must calculate Utilities Expense Level (UEL) based on its consumption for each utility, the applicable rates for each utility, and an applicable inflation factor. The UEL for a given funding period is the product of the utility rate multiplied by the payable consumption level multiplied by the inflation factor. The UEL is expressed in terms of Per Unit Month (PUM) costs. The utility rate for each type of utility will be the actual average rate from the most recent 12-month period that ended June 30th prior to the beginning of the applicable funding period. The rate will be calculated by dividing the actual utility cost by the actual utility consumption, with consideration for pass-through costs (e.g., state and local utility taxes, tariffs) for the time period specified in this paragraph. During our testing of HUD forms 52722 and 52723 (Calculation of Operating Subsidy), PHA failed to provide the HUD forms in current year. Amount of Questioned Costs: None Context: The Authority was unable to locate HUD forms 52722 and 52723. Cause: The Authority’s internal controls over the PHOF Operating Subsidy calculation process that were in place lacked the necessary controls over monitoring of related HUD regulatory requirements. Effect or Potential Effect: The Authority could be receiving subsidy amounts that are smaller than the Authority needs to operate on an annual basis. The Authority may not detect errors to the calculation of operating subsidy and utilities expense level in a timely manner. Auditor’s Recommendation: We recommend that the Authority's management take the necessary steps to obtain forms 52722 and 52723. We also recommend that the Authority implement internal controls to detect when required HUD documentation is not present. Grantee Response: Current management acknowledges the finding and is following the auditor’s recommendations.