Finding Text
Federal Agency: Department of Treasury Federal Program Name: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Award Identification Number and Year: 1505-0271 - 2021 Award Period: March 3, 2021 December 31, 2024, liquidated by December 31, 2026 Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control Over Compliance, Material Non-Compliance (Modified Opinion) Criteria or Specific Requirement: Under 2 CFR 200.302 and 2 CFR 200.328, recipients of federal funds must maintain accurate financial records and ensure that all reports submitted to federal agencies are complete, accurate, and supported by the accounting system. In addition, Treasury guidance requires that expenditures reported in the Project and Expenditure (P&E) Report be accurate and properly classified. Condition: During the audit, it was noted that certain expenditures reported in the Treasury Project and Expenditure (P&E) Report were inaccurate. Specifically, expenditures included in the P&E Report had been reimbursed under another federal or pass-through grant and therefore should not have been reported as expenditures under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program. The Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) was reviewed and found to be accurately stated in all material respects and properly reconciled to the general ledger. The inaccuracy was limited to the P&E Report submitted to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and did not impact the SEFA. Questioned Cost: None. Context: $520,252 of expenditures reported in the P&E Report submitted to the U.S. Department of the Treasury were reimbursed by another grant. Cause: The Town did not have adequate review procedures in place to ensure that amounts reported in the Project and Expenditure Report were reconciled to the accounting system prior to submission and not reported elsewhere. Effect: As a result, expenditures reported in the Treasury P&E Report were overstated. While this did not affect the accuracy of the SEFA or the basic financial statements, inaccurate reporting to the federal awarding agency increases the risk of noncompliance and may result in the need for corrections, repayments, or increased federal oversight. Repeat Finding: No Recommendation: We recommend that the Town implement stronger internal controls over federal reporting, including establishing a formal reconciliation process between the general ledger and the Project and Expenditure Report, requiring Town Administrators review and approval of all federal reports prior to submission, and providing additional training to staff on Federal reporting requirements. View of Responsible Officials: Management concurs with this finding.