Finding 1161837 (2020-005)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
A
Questioned Costs
$1
Year
2020
Accepted
2025-11-04
Audit: 371774
Organization: City of Mount Vernon (NY)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Missing payroll documentation for the Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers program has led to a material weakness in compliance.
  • Impacted Requirements: Federal regulations require accurate records for salaries charged to grants, including time and effort documentation, which were not available for review.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Implement a formal records retention policy to ensure all grant-related documentation is preserved and establish procedures to verify compliance with federal requirements.

Finding Text

Finding 2020-005 - Material Weakness - Missing Supporting Documentation CFDA Number and Title: 84.287 Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers Applicable Compliance Requirements: Activities Allowed or Unallowed Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Criteria: According to 2 CFR §200.430(i), charges to federal awards for salaries must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must be supported by a system of internal control which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated. Additionally, the Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers program requires grantees to maintain documentation that supports personnel costs charged to the grant, including time and effort records for staff funded in whole or in part by federal funds. Condition: During the audit of expenditures under the Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers program pay records, such as timesheets, pay rates or equivalent documentation, which support time and effort charged to the grant were not available for review. The missing files had been stored on a drive maintained by a former employee and could not be recovered. Cause: The City did not retain or migrate payroll documentation from the former employee’s system, resulting in the loss of critical records necessary to support grant expenditures. Effect or Potential Effect: Without adequate documentation, the organization cannot substantiate the allowability of payroll costs charged to the 21st CCLC grant. This may result in questioned costs and potential repayment or corrective action requirements from the granting agency. Questioned Costs: $120,064 represent salaries charged to the grant where no timesheets could be provided. Context: The ten missing timesheets were for specific pay periods throughout the fiscal year. The questioned costs represent those employee’s salaries charged to the grant for the year. Recommendation: The City should establish and enforce a formal records retention policy that ensures all grant-related documentation, including payroll and time and effort records, is preserved and accessible. Additionally, procedures should be implemented to verify that personnel costs charged to the grant comply with federal requirements and program-specific guidance. Management’s Responses: See corrective action plan.

Corrective Action Plan

Management Response: Due to turnover program pay records such as timesheets and equivalent documentation could not be located. The missing files had been stored on a drive maintained by a former employee and could not be recovered. The City implemented a records retention policy in 2023 and established a system to ensure that all documentation supporting expenditures is properly gathered, organized, and retained in compliance with federal requirements.

Categories

Questioned Costs Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Material Weakness

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1161838 2020-006
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
14.267 CONTINUUM OF CARE PROGRAM $1.34M
14.218 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS/ENTITLEMENT GRANTS $905,996
84.287 TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS $779,795
93.045 SPECIAL PROGRAMS FOR THE AGING, TITLE III, PART C, NUTRITION SERVICES $257,762
14.239 HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM $233,413
93.778 MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM $127,397
16.609 PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS $81,854
17.259 WIOA YOUTH ACTIVITIES $76,300
93.053 NUTRITION SERVICES INCENTIVE PROGRAM $69,947
93.044 SPECIAL PROGRAMS FOR THE AGING, TITLE III, PART B, GRANTS FOR SUPPORTIVE SERVICES AND SENIOR CENTERS $36,507
93.994 MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES BLOCK GRANT TO THE STATES $16,528