Finding 1225512 (2025-003)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
L
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-08-03
Audit: 408395
Organization: Montgomery County, Il (IL)
Auditor: SCHEFFEL BOYLE

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The County's federal expenditure reports did not match the general ledger due to lack of reconciliations from the third party, Bellwether.
  • Impacted Requirements: Expenditures reported in the P&E reports for the American Rescue Plan Act could not be reconciled with the general ledger.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: The County should ensure future reconciliations are obtained directly from any third-party assistance to prevent discrepancies.

Finding Text

Criteria: The County’s federal expenditure reports should agree to the amounts reported in the general ledger expenditure accounts. Condition: The expenditures, by project, on the County’s P&E reports could not be reconciled to the County’s general ledger expenditure accounts. Cause: The County relied on a third party, Bellwether, who assisted in the preparation of annual P&E reports and thought they had provided all ordinances and support necessary for each project. Bellwether did not provide the County with reconciliations between the P&E reports and the County’s general ledger expenditure accounts. Effect: The County’s expenditures on the annual P&E report for the American Rescue Plan Act did not match the expenditures reported in the general ledger. On the final report, as of March 31, 2026, all funds were spent per general ledger reporting and per P&E reporting. Therefore, all ARPA funds were spent on County approved projects but the timing of when they were reported in the P&E report and what categories the expenditures were reported under could not be reconciled. Questioned Cost: None Recommendation: The County should have obtained, from Bellwether, reconciliations between the P&E reporting and the general ledger expenditure reporting. Response: The final grant report was filed in April 2026 through the period March 31, 2026. All grant funds were expended through this report filing period. The 3rd party, Bellwether, is no longer needed and the American Rescue Plan Fund is now overseen by the County Treasurer as no grant funds are no longer contained in it.

Corrective Action Plan

Condition: The expenditures on the County’s P&E reports could not be reconciled to the County’s general ledger expenditure accounts. Plan: The County should have obtained, from Bellwether, reconciliations between the P&E reporting and the general ledger expenditure reporting. Name of Contact Person: Nikki Lohman, Treasurer Management Response: The final grant report was filed in April 2026 through the period March 31, 2026. All grant funds were expended through this report filing period. The 3rd party, Bellwether, is no longer needed and the American Rescue Plan Fund is now overseen by the County Treasurer as no grant funds are no longer contained in it. Anticipated Date of Completion: March 2026, anticipated date of ARPA funds being fully expensed.

Categories

Reporting

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1225513 2025-004
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
21.027 CORONAVIRUS STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS $1.10M
10.557 WIC SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, INFANTS, AND CHILDREN $223,752
93.898 CANCER PREVENTION AND CONTROL PROGRAMS FOR STATE, TERRITORIAL AND TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS $197,066
93.959 BLOCK GRANTS FOR PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE $93,871
93.958 BLOCK GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES $88,930
93.667 SOCIAL SERVICES BLOCK GRANT $86,320
93.967 CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION COLLABORATION WITH ACADEMIA TO STRENGTHEN PUBLIC HEALTH $77,778
93.323 EPIDEMIOLOGY AND LABORATORY CAPACITY FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES (ELC) $64,705
93.069 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS $44,754
93.103 FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION RESEARCH $18,172
16.738 EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM $12,119
93.436 WELL-INTEGRATED SCREENING AND EVALUATION FOR WOMEN ACROSS THE NATION (WISEWOMAN) $6,522
93.052 NATIONAL FAMILY CAREGIVER SUPPORT, TITLE III, PART E $6,047
93.044 SPECIAL PROGRAMS FOR THE AGING, TITLE III, PART B, GRANTS FOR SUPPORTIVE SERVICES AND SENIOR CENTERS $5,211
90.404 HAVA ELECTION SECURITY GRANTS $2,698
93.268 IMMUNIZATION COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS $823
66.605 PERFORMANCE PARTNERSHIP GRANTS $125