Finding 1208851 (2024-002)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
L
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2024
Accepted
2026-04-27
Audit: 399810
Organization: City of Bloomington (IN)
Auditor: CROWE LLP

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The City of Bloomington's quarterly reports for the CSLFRF program lacked proper segregation of duties and had discrepancies in cumulative expenditures.
  • Impacted Requirements: Reports did not comply with the US Department of Treasury’s Compliance and Reporting Guidance, specifically regarding accurate reporting of obligations and expenditures.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Implement a multi-stage review process for federal data reports to ensure accurate tracking and reporting of cumulative expenditures.

Finding Text

Information on the federal program: Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury Pass-Through Entity: N/A – Direct Grant Federal Program: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (CSLFRF) Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Significant Deficiency, Noncompliance Criteria: The US Department of Treasury’s Compliance and Reporting Guidance for State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds requires quarterly project expenditure reports to be completed with the key line items: 1) Obligations and Expenditures 2) Subawards 3) Detailed information of any loans issued; contracts and grants awarded; transfers made to other government entities; and direct payments made by the recipient that are greater than $50,000. For amounts less than $50,000, the recipient must report in the aggregate for these same categories of loans issued; contracts and grants awarded; transfers made to other government entities; and direct payments made by the recipient. Condition: City of Bloomington completed quarterly reporting in a timely manner. However, the reports did not have evidence of segregation of duties and the cumulative expenses stated on the report did not agree to the cumulative expenditures reported on previous SEFAs. Cause: The City does not have an effective system of internal controls in place to effectively review CSLFRF reporting data prior to submission to the US Department of Treasury. Effect: Cumulative expenditures on the quarterly data submissions were misstated. Questioned costs: There are no questioned costs. Context: During our testing procedures over CSLFRF reporting, we noted that segregation of duties is not present in the Federal reporting process. The Deputy Controller prepared and submitted the reports without a secondary review taking place. As a result, the City did not report cumulative expenditures for the grant that were consistent with the expenditures reported on the SEFA. Identification as a repeat finding, if applicable: Yes, finding 2023-002 in the prior year report. Recommendation: We recommend that the City implement a consistent multi-stage review process for federal data reports, which involves identifying and tracking cumulative expenditures by type. Views of responsible officials and planned corrective actions: Management acknowledges the finding. See management’s corrective action plan attached to this audit report.

Corrective Action Plan

Information on the federal program: Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury Pass-Through Entity: N/A – Direct Grant Federal Program: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (CSLFRF) Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Significant Deficiency, Noncompliance Condition: City of Bloomington completed quarterly reporting in a timely manner. However, the reports did not have evidence of segregation of duties and the cumulative expenses stated on the report did not agree to the cumulative expenditures reported on previous SEFAs. Context: During our testing procedures over CSLFRF reporting, we noted that segregation of duties is not present in the Federal reporting process. The Deputy Controller prepared and submitted the reports without a secondary review taking place. As a result, the City did not report cumulative expenditures for the grant that were consistent with the expenditures reported on the SEFA. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Management agrees with the finding and has already implemented a policy effective third quarter of 2025 to ensure a documented two-person review process and reconciliation of costs to the report. Responsible party and timeline for completion: The Controller is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the corrective action plan and will ensure the appropriate personnel are involved in the review and reconciliation process. The corrective action plan has already been implemented effective for the third quarter of 2025.

Categories

Subrecipient Monitoring Reporting Internal Control / Segregation of Duties Significant Deficiency

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1208850 2024-001
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
21.027 CORONAVIRUS STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS $3.04M
66.818 BROWNFIELDS MULTIPURPOSE, ASSESSMENT, REVOLVING LOAN FUND, AND CLEANUP COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS $191,329
14.218 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS/ENTITLEMENT GRANTS $108,229
20.205 HIGHWAY PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION $106,609
16.922 EQUITABLE SHARING PROGRAM $85,578
16.738 EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM $44,920
20.608 MINIMUM PENALTIES FOR REPEAT OFFENDERS FOR DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED $19,666
10.559 SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN $10,966
20.600 STATE AND COMMUNITY HIGHWAY SAFETY $9,333
16.607 BULLETPROOF VEST PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM $7,358
20.616 NATIONAL PRIORITY SAFETY PROGRAMS $6,896
14.239 HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM $1,424