Finding 1174735 (2025-002)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
P
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-02-20
Audit: 388305
Organization: Beaver Water District (AR)
Auditor: ABACUS CPAS LLC

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Inconsistent application of depreciation methods for capital assets led to misstatements in depreciation expense and accumulated depreciation.
  • Impacted Requirements: Controls over capital asset management, including documentation and review processes, were not effectively followed, resulting in clerical errors.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Review depreciation guidelines, assess current capital asset controls, and evaluate the management system's capabilities to prevent future errors.

Finding Text

Condition – During the year ended September 30, 2025, it was discovered depreciation methods for certain capital assets were applied inconsistently in current and prior years, resulting in the need to adjust depreciation expense and accumulated depreciation. Criteria – Controls in place over capital asset additions include obtaining purchase documentation, matching to accounting system, and using project codes and descriptions to input into capital asset software. Categories, methods, and lives are based on the inputs mentioned above. Effects – Clerical errors in descriptions, account or project grouping, and failure of review resulted in the capital asset group of land and land rights being depreciated incorrectly. Recommendation – Abacus has recommended a review of authoritative guidances on allowable depreciation methods, an evaluation of current capital asset control processes, and an additional evaluation of controls and abilities of capital asset management system. Managements Response – The misstatement of current year depreciation expense and accumulated depreciation amounts resulted from the misapplication of depreciation methods related to land and land rights. The affected assets represented a small portion of the total capital asset population and were primarily related to assets acquired in prior years. Current year depreciation expense was overstated by $57,000, representing 0.9% of the total depreciation expense of $6,557,584. The effect on accumulated depreciation for fiscal year 2025 was $330,000, representing 0.3% of $111,195,665 in accumulated depreciation. The 2025 financial statements have been adjusted to reflect the correct amounts. The District has committed to perform evaluations of the existing capital asset control processes and the abilities of the capital asset management system.

Corrective Action Plan

The District will review the existing capital asset listing and make changes as necessary to ensure appropriate depreciation methods are applied to capital assets currently in-service. The default settings in the capital asset management software will be reviewed to ensure ease of use in applying the appropriate depreciation methods when placing new capital assets in-service. The District will review current control processes in place over capital asset additions to ensure application of the appropriate depreciation methods.

Categories

Procurement, Suspension & Debarment Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1174734 2025-001
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
66.468 DRINKING WATER STATE REVOLVING FUND $24.54M