Finding 1168582 (2025-003)

Assistance Listing Number, Federal Agency, and Program Name - ALN 14.239, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Home Investment Partnerships Program Federal Award Identification Number and Year - M18MC260202 2018; M19MC260202 2019; M20MC260202 2020; M21MC260202 2021 Pass through Entity - N/A Finding Type - Material weakness and material noncompliance with laws and regulations Repeat Finding - Yes 2024 004 Criteria - Per 2 CFR 200.303, the recipient must establish, document, and maintain effective internal control over the federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the recipient or subrecipient is managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should align with the guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control-Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The City is required to complete inspections of HOME-assisted units to ensure they meet the HUD housing standards outlined in 24 CFR 92.251(b)(viii). During the period of affordability (i.e., the period for which the nonfederal entity must maintain subsided housing) for HOME-assisted rental housing, the participating jurisdiction must perform on-site inspections to determine compliance with property standards and verify the information submitted by the owners no less than (a) every three years for projects containing 1 to 4 units, (b) every two years for projects containing 5 to 25 units, and (c) every year for projects containing 26 or more units. The participating jurisdiction must perform on-site inspections of rental housing occupied by tenants receiving HOME/HOME-ARP-assisted tenant-based rental assistance to determine compliance with housing quality standards (24 CFR sections 92.209(i), 92.251(f), and 92.504(d)). Per 24 CFR 92.504(d) (Sept. 30, 2024), once a housing quality standards inspection is completed, the results must be communicated to the property owner, and any deficiencies identified must be remedied immediately after notification if they are life-threatening and an additional inspection completed within 12 months for all other deficiencies. Condition - The requirements mandate that units be inspected, deficiencies communicated, and corrective actions taken promptly. However, controls over housing quality standards are not effectively designed, reflecting a persistent lack of segregation of duties necessary to ensure compliance. Furthermore, existing controls were insufficient to guarantee that HQS inspection requirements were met and that identified deficiencies were addressed in a timely manner. Questioned Costs - None If Questioned Costs are Not Determinable, Description of Why Known Questioned Costs Were Undetermined or Otherwise Could Not be Reported - N/A Identification of How Questioned Costs Were Computed - N/A Context - During our walkthrough of the City’s processes and controls, we observed that the inspector responsible for conducting inspections of HOME-assisted projects also prepares and signs the certification of completion, with no secondary review in place. In addition, sample testing revealed that 8 of 13 HOME-assisted projects were not inspected according to the established schedule. Finally, 4 of 13 projects did not have deficiencies identified during inspection resolved in a timely manner. Cause and Effect - The absence of effectively designed controls over inspection resulted in material noncompliance with program requirements, as described above. Recommendation - We recommend that the City establish and implement effective internal controls over inspections. These controls should include segregation of duties, independent review of inspection results, and documented approval processes. Strengthening these measures will help prevent errors or omissions from going undetected and reduce the risk of material noncompliance with program requirements. Views of Responsible Officials and Corrective Action Plan - During the fiscal year, the City reviewed and enhanced its internal controls over HQS inspections to strengthen oversight and segregation of duties. Process changes were implemented to ensure that inspections, documentation of deficiencies, follow-up actions, and certifications of completion have independent review and approval. In addition, management implemented monitoring procedures to track inspection schedules to help ensure HQS requirements are met in a timely manner. While corrective actions were initiated during the fiscal year, they were not fully implemented throughout the entire period. By year end, the controls were in place. The City will continue to monitor these controls to ensure ongoing compliance and to prevent similar issues from recurring.