Finding 1176614 (2025-002)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
A
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-03-05
Audit: 390438
Organization: Village of Fairmont (NE)
Auditor: GBE CPA

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The Village lacks proper internal controls due to insufficient administrative staff, leading to one person managing all transaction phases.
  • Impacted Requirements: This situation violates the principle of segregation of duties, increasing the risk of errors or fraud.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: The Village should assess the cost-benefit of segregating duties and explore compensating controls to mitigate risks.

Finding Text

Criteria: Good internal control includes a plan of organization, procedures, and records designed to safeguard assets and provide reliable financial records. A system of internal control should include proper segregation of duties so no one individual is capable of handling all phases of a transaction from beginning to end. Condition: The limited number of administrative employees results in an inadequate internal control structure. We noted the Village had a lack of segregation of duties as one person was capable of handling all aspects of processing transactions from beginning to end. Effect: A lack of segregation of duties increases the risk of possible errors or irregularities. Recommendation: We recommend the Village review the situation to determine whether the cost of properly segregating duties is worth the benefit. We further recommend the Village consider implementing certain compensating controls to reduce risk in this area. Response: The Village has reviewed the situation and determined that the cost to segregate duties outweighs the benefits. The Village is looking into ways to implement compensating controls to reduce the risk of lack of segregation of duties to a lower level.

Corrective Action Plan

The Village has discussed the finding but must consider the cost of adequate segregation of duties when determining the use of tax money.

Categories

Internal Control / Segregation of Duties HUD Housing Programs

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
66.468 CAPITALIZATION GRANTS FOR DRINKING WATER STATE REVOLVING FUNDS $2.28M