Finding 1226483 (2024-002)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
L
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2024
Accepted
2026-08-13
Audit: 409115
Organization: City of Odessa, Tx (TX)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The City failed to report $310,037 in fiscal year 2024 expenditures and incorrectly included $57,426 from fiscal year 2025 in the 2024 reports.
  • Impacted Requirements: This noncompliance violates 2 CFR 200.303(a), which mandates effective internal controls over federal awards.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: The City should conduct a thorough review of expenditure details prior to submitting quarterly reports to ensure accuracy.

Finding Text

Finding: 2024-002 - Reporting Type of Finding: Noncompliance and Material Weakness in Internal Control Over Compliance Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Federal Program Title: COVID 19 – Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds ALN: 21.027 Pass-Through Agency: N/A Pass-Through Number(s): N/A Award Number and Period: N/A; October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024 Criteria or specific requirement Per 2 CFR 200.303(a), the City must establish, document, and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the recipient or subrecipient is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Condition During testing of reporting, we noted an amount of $310,037 of fiscal year 2024 expenditures were not included in the fiscal year 2024 quarterly reports submitted to the grantor agency. Additionally, we noted $57,426 of fiscal year 2025 expenditures incorrectly reported in the third quarter of fiscal year 2024. Questioned costs $0 Cause The under reporting of fiscal year 2024 expenditures was caused by allowable project costs being reclassified to the grant after the quarterly report submission dates. The inclusion of fiscal year 2025 expenditures in the fiscal year 2024 quarterly reports is due to insufficient review of program activity and improper reporting cut-off. Effect The U.S. Department of Treasury uses the reports internally for oversight purposes and to fulfill transparency and legal obligations. Improper reporting to the federal agency can lead to data inaccuracies. Repeat Finding No Recommendation We recommend the City review expenditure details thoroughly before submitting quarterly reports to the grantor agency. Views of Responsible Official(s) and Planned Corrective Actions See corrective action plan.

Corrective Action Plan

Finance Finding: 2024-002 - Reporting Corrective Action Plan Type of Finding: Noncompliance and Material Weakness in Internal Control Over Compliance Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Federal Program Title: COVID 19 - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recover Funds ALN: 21.027 Corrective Action: The City recognizes the importance of timely and accurate financial reporting for grant-funded programs. To address the root causes of this finding and strengthen internal controls over grant accounting, the City is implementing the following corrective actions: 1. Dedicated Grant Accounting Oversight The City has established a Senior Accountant position dedicated to grant accounting and compliance. This position will be responsible for overseeing grant-related financial activity, monitoring grant expenditures and revenues, coordinating reimbursement requests, ensuring compliance with grant requirements, and reviewing transactions for proper accounting period recognition. 2. Enhanced Communication with Grant Departments Finance will implement regular communication with departments responsible for managing grants to ensure grant activity is identified and recorded timely. Departments will be expected to notify Finance of significant grant expenditures, reimbursement requests, project milestones, and other events affecting grant accounting. Regular meetings will be scheduled, as appropriate, to discuss grant status, upcoming deadlines, and financial reporting requirements. 3. Routine Grant Reconciliations The Finance Department will perform recurring reconciliations of grant expenditures, revenues, receivables, deferred revenues, and reimbursement requests. These reconciliations will compare the general ledger to grant reimbursement activity and supporting documentation to identify and resolve timing differences before month-end and year-end financial reporting. A comprehensive reconciliation will also be performed during the fiscal year-end closing process to ensure all grant transactions are recorded in the appropriate accounting period. 4. Grant Accounting Training The newly assigned Senior Accountant will receive formal training in governmental grant accounting, Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200), federal and state grant compliance requirements, and applicable GASB reporting standards. In addition, the City will provide ongoing professional development opportunities through external training, webinars, professional organizations, and auditor recommendations to maintain current knowledge of grant accounting requirements. 5. Strengthened Year-End Closing Procedures Grant-specific procedures will be incorporated into the City's year-end closing checklist. Finance will perform a detailed review of outstanding grant expenditures, reimbursement requests, accrued revenues, deferred inflows, and subsequent receipts to verify that grant transactions are recognized in the appropriate fiscal period prior to issuance of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR). Responsible Department: Finance Department Responsible Official: Chief Financial Officer, Finance Director (or equivalent) Senior Accountant - Grants & Special Revenue Implementation Date: Began implementation in FY 2026 and will be fully incorporated into the City's ongoing financial reporting and year-end closing processes.

Categories

Internal Control / Segregation of Duties Questioned Costs Subrecipient Monitoring Material Weakness Reporting

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
21.027 CORONAVIRUS STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS $6.81M
14.218 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS/ENTITLEMENT GRANTS $234,410
14.239 HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM $115,925
20.507 FEDERAL TRANSIT_FORMULA GRANTS $109,699
20.513 ENHANCED MOBILITY OF SENIORS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES $51,961
16.738 EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM $741