Finding 1156805 (2024-002)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
L
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2024
Accepted
2025-09-30
Audit: 369188
Organization: County of Mercer (PA)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The County's internal controls failed to ensure accurate reporting of approximately $150,000 in expenditures related to CSLFRF funds.
  • Impacted Requirements: Quarterly reports must be accurate and reflect all activities supported by accounting records, as per Treasury guidelines.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: The County should correct previously submitted reports to align with accurate accounting records.

Finding Text

Finding 2024-002 – Reporting U.S. Department of Treasury COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (CSLFRF) – ALN 21.027 Reporting Condition: The internal control system to ensure that the Project and Expenditure Report submitted to Treasury was accurate was not operating effectively. The County elected to not apply expenditures related to a project to the CSLFRF funds for approximately $150,000 that were previously reported to Treasury as a use of these funds. As a result of the errors, the cumulative expenditures on the Project and Expenditure Report, which are considered to be key line items being reported, are not accurate. Criteria: Quarterly reports are required to be accurate and include all activity of the reporting period, supported by the applicable accounting records and fairly presented in accordance with Treasury requirements. The reports are to include the current period expenditures, as well as the cumulative expenditures related to the projects. Cause: Internal controls in place to ensure that the quarterly reports were completed accurately were not adequate. Effect: The quarterly reports submitted to Treasury do not contain information supported by the accounting records of the County. Questioned Costs: None. Identification as a Repeat Finding: This is not a repeat finding from the prior audit. Recommendation: We recommend the County ensure proper correction of previously submitted reports. Management’s Response: Management agrees with this finding. See separate Corrective Action Plan.

Corrective Action Plan

Finding 2024-002 – COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (CSLFRF) ALN 21.027 U.S. Department of Treasury Auditor's Recommendation: We recommend the County ensure proper correction of preciously submitted reports. Corrective Action Plan: After reporting an expenditure of State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds in 2024, we elected to use other funds for that project. Because the U.S. Treasury website does not provide for correction of prior periods, we were not able to reflect that change in our report for December 31, 2024. We made the correction in our cumulative report at June 30, 2025. Our SLFRF reports are now correct. In addition we have established a review procedure for all planned expenditures of SLFRF funds to coordinate approvals of Purchasing, Fiscal, and Controller offices to assure proper identification of funding sources and consistency with grant specifications.

Categories

Reporting Internal Control / Segregation of Duties

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
21.027 Covid-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $1.27M
10.569 Emergency Food Assistance Program (food Commodities) $219,122
93.563 Child Support Services $216,445
20.205 Highway Planning and Construction $210,284
93.558 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families $198,146
93.958 Block Grants for Community Mental Health Services $174,719
14.228 Community Development Block Grants/state's Program and Non-Entitlement Grants in Hawaii $164,968
93.667 Social Services Block Grant $102,076
93.645 Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program $91,689
14.231 Emergency Solutions Grant Program $72,236
93.669 Child Abuse and Neglect State Grants $67,022
97.042 Emergency Management Performance Grants $65,443
93.150 Projects for Assistance in Transition From Homelessness (path) $56,180
93.674 John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood $49,873
84.181 Special Education-Grants for Infants and Families $42,035
97.067 Homeland Security Grant Program $26,521
93.472 Title IV-E Prevention Program $19,501
93.658 Foster Care Title IV-E $16,259
10.568 Emergency Food Assistance Program (administrative Costs) $15,188
93.778 Medical Assistance Program $15,131
93.778 Covid-19 Medical Assistance Program $14,896
12.112 Payments to States in Lieu of Real Estate Taxes $9,692
90.404 Hava Election Security Grants $7,774
93.556 Marylee Allen Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program $4,399
16.738 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program $2,711
93.659 Adoption Assistance $1,893
93.090 Guardianship Assistance $126