Finding 1224887 (2025-003)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
L
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-07-29
Audit: 408113
Organization: City of Lawrence, Kansas (KS)
Auditor: RSM US LLP

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The City failed to submit required reports for federal grants on time, leading to noncompliance with reporting requirements.
  • Impacted Requirements: Timely submission of SF-271 and SF-425 reports, as well as quarterly forms 5370-1 and 5100-400, was not met due to lack of processes and personnel turnover.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Implement procedures and controls for compliance, and maintain clear documentation on report responsibilities and deadlines.

Finding Text

2025-003: Significant Deficiency and Noncompliance: Reporting U.S. Department of Transportation Airport Improvement Program, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Programs, and COVID-19 Airports Programs Federal Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 20.106 Federal Award Year: 2025 Criteria: The City’s Airport Improvement Program has reporting requirements that are applicable to the program and that should be submitted to the federal government throughout the project. SF-271 and SF-425 reports are required to be submitted before December 31 each year the grant is open. In addition, form 5370-1 (construction projects) or 5100-400 (non-construction projects) is required to be submitted within 30 days of the end of each quarter. Condition: The City did not submit in a timely manner, all of the required reports stipulated in the grant agreements. Cause: The City did not have processes and controls in place to ensure reporting requirements are met. The City experienced turnover in airport personnel during the end of fiscal year 2025, and did not have processes and controls in place for sufficient cross training of personnel assuming responsibility of these reporting requirements. Effect or potential effect: The City did not comply with the reporting compliance requirement because the required reports were not submitted in the timeframe communicated in the grant agreements. Questioned costs: None. Context: The City submitted two of the four SF-271 reports by the required deadline, as these two grants closed out earlier in the fiscal year. The City subsequently submitted the remaining two SF-271 reports approximately 90 days after the December 31, 2025 deadline. These late reports were for projects that had not commenced and no expenditures had yet been incurred. The City submitted two of the four SF-425 reports by the required deadline, as these grants closed out earlier in the fiscal year. The City subsequently submitted the remaining two SF-425 reports approximately 180 days after the December 31, 2025 deadline. These late reports were for projects that had not commenced and no expenditures had yet been incurred. For four of four quarterly 5370-1 construction projected selected for testing, these were remitted timely and accurately. Identification as a repeat finding, if applicable: Not a repeat finding. Recommendation: We recommend the City implement procedures to ensure there are processes and controls in place to maintain compliance with reporting requirements. We recommend the City maintain documentation that provides guidance on who specifically has responsibility over reports required to be submitted to granting agencies, as well as the due dates of such reports. Views of responsible officials: Management agrees with the finding.

Corrective Action Plan

Finding 2025-003: Significant Deficiency and Noncompliance: Reporting Finding: The City’s Airport Improvement Program has reporting requirements that are applicable to the program and that should be submitted to the federal government throughout the project. SF-271 and SF-425 reports are required to be submitted by December 31st each year when the grant is open. In addition, form 5370-1 (construction projects) or 5100-400 (non-construction projects) is required to be submitted within 30 days of the end of the quarter. The City did not submit in a timely manner all the required reports stipulated in the grant agreements. Corrective Actions Taken or Planned: The City of Lawrence, Municipal Services and Operations Department will undertake the following corrective action plan to ensure all required reports comply with the provisions of these grant agreements for which the City has entered. 1. All required documents for 2025 and 2026 will be completed and submitted by the anticipated completion date listed below. 2. In the future, MSO management staff and the Airport Manager will monitor, and remind, the contracted project engineers of their assigned responsibilities to prepare and submit the required reports to the respective contacts at the US Department of Transportation within the timeframes stated in the grant agreements. 3. MSO management staff will ensure that the required documents, and proof of their submissions, are filed in the City of Lawrence’s internal document management system to ensure the Finance Department and external auditors have access to the required documents. The Finance Department will notify the MSO Director of any late or missing federal reports. Contact Person: Shaun Cookson, Rachelle Mathews Anticipated Completion Date: December 31, 2026

Categories

Reporting

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1224886 2025-001
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1224888 2025-004
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
20.507 FEDERAL TRANSIT FORMULA GRANTS $4.54M
14.218 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS/ENTITLEMENT GRANTS $1.40M
20.106 AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT PROGRAMS, AND COVID-19 AIRPORTS PROGRAMS $988,467
14.239 HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM $393,368
20.507 COVID-19 FEDERAL TRANSIT FORMULA GRANTS $212,322
14.218 COVID-19 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS/ENTITLEMENT GRANTS $127,903
20.939 SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL $59,219
97.044 ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANT $58,050
16.710 PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERSHIP AND COMMUNITY POLICING GRANTS $53,296
20.505 METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND STATE AND NON-METROPOLITAN PLANNING AND RESEARCH $49,600
21.027 COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS $38,425
20.526 BUSES AND BUS FACILITIES FORMULA, COMPETITIVE, AND LOW OR NO EMISSIONS PROGRAMS $30,837
16.738 EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM $30,543
20.205 HIGHWAY PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION $23,218
14.231 EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT PROGRAM $17,037
14.401 FAIR HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM $11,908
20.616 NATIONAL PRIORITY SAFETY PROGRAMS $11,042
20.600 STATE AND COMMUNITY HIGHWAY SAFETY $5,768
20.531 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT $1,000