Finding 1230007 (2025-010)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
AB
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-09-17

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Property insurance costs were improperly charged to the Housing Choice Voucher Program, violating federal cost principles.
  • Impacted Requirements: Costs must be allowable, reasonable, and properly allocated to benefit the correct federal program.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Review and document cost allocation methods, implement supervisory reviews, and train staff on federal cost principles.

Finding Text

Finding 2025-010: Noncompliance and Significant Deficiency – Allowable Activities and Allowable Costs Federal Program Information Assistance Listing Number: 14.871 Program: Housing Choice Voucher Cluster Criteria: Federal awards may only be charged costs that are allowable, reasonable, allocable, and properly supported. Costs charged to a federal program must benefit that program and must be allocated in accordance with an equitable and documented methodology. Management is responsible for establishing procedures to ensure expenditures are properly assigned to benefiting programs and reviewed for allowability prior to being charged to federal awards. Condition: During our testing of expenditures charged to the Housing Choice Voucher Program, we determined property insurance costs had been improperly allocated to the Voucher program. During fiscal year 2025, the Agency recorded an audit adjustment to reallocate $14,202.98 of property insurance expense from the Housing Choice Voucher Program to the Public Housing Program. Audit procedures further identified that similar allocation errors had occurred during the previous two fiscal years totaling approximately $24,964.76. No adjustment was recorded for the prior-year amounts. Property insurance costs associated with Public Housing properties do not benefit the Housing Choice Voucher Program and therefore should not be charged to the federal program. Cause: The Agency did not maintain adequate controls over the allocation of shared costs between programs. Management did not perform sufficient review of allocation methodologies to ensure expenses were charged to the program receiving the benefit. In addition, there was inadequate oversight of accounting transactions affecting federal programs. Effect: As a result of these deficiencies, costs were improperly charged to the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Improper cost allocations resulted in noncompliance with federal cost principles and increased the risk that federal funds could be used for expenditures that did not benefit the program. In addition, financial reports submitted by the Agency did not accurately reflect program costs. Recommendation: We recommend the Agency: 1. Review all cost allocation methodologies used to distribute shared costs among programs. 2. Maintain documentation supporting the basis for cost allocations. 3. Implement a supervisory review process to ensure expenditures are charged only to benefiting programs. 4. Periodically review significant expense accounts to identify and correct allocation errors on a timely basis. 5. Provide training to accounting personnel regarding federal cost principles and allocability requirements. Views of Responsible Officials: The Housing Agency agrees with the finding.

Corrective Action Plan

Finding 2025-010: Noncompliance and Significant Deficiency – Allowable Activities and Allowable Costs Agreement or Disagreement: The Agency agrees with the finding. Planned Corrective Action: The Agency will establish written cost-allocation procedures to ensure that expenditures are charged only to the program receiving the benefit and that all allocations are reasonable, equitable, consistently applied, and adequately supported. The Agency will take the following actions: Cost-Allocation Procedures • Review all methodologies used to allocate shared costs among the Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher, and other Agency programs. • Establish written procedures identifying allowable costs, allocation methods, required supporting documentation, and approval responsibilities. • Ensure costs directly benefiting one program are charged entirely to that program. • Allocate shared costs using a reasonable and documereplacented basis that reflects the benefit received by each program. • Review and update allocation methodologies whenever programs, staffing, services, or operating conditions change. Property Insurance and Prior Allocations • Review property insurance expenses to ensure costs associated with Public Housing properties are not charged to the Housing Choice Voucher Program. • Verify and correct the $14,202.98 property insurance allocation identified during fiscal year 2025. • Review the approximately $24,964.76 in similar allocation errors identified during the two preceding fiscal years. • Record all necessary correcting entries in accordance with applicable accounting requirements and guidance from the Agency’s auditor. • Retain documentation supporting the review, calculations, correcting entries, and final disposition of the prior-period amounts. Documentation and Supervisory Review • Require invoices, allocation calculations, and supporting documentation to be reviewed before expenditures are charged to a federal program. • Implement a supervisory approval process for shared costs and expenditures affecting multiple programs. • Document the allocation basis, calculation, programs charged, reviewer, and date of approval. • Periodically review significant expense accounts to identify allocation errors and ensure corrections are made promptly. • Reconcile financial reports and general-ledger activity to supporting invoices and allocation documentation. Training and Ongoing Monitoring • Provide training to accounting and administrative personnel regarding federal cost principles, allowable costs, and allocability requirements. • Ensure staff understand that federal program funds may only be used for costs that benefit that program. • Conduct periodic internal reviews of expenditures charged to the Housing Choice Voucher Program. • Report the results of monitoring activities and any unresolved allocation issues to the Executive Director and Board of Commissioners. • Provide additional training or corrective guidance when errors or inconsistencies are identified. Management will periodically evaluate compliance with the cost-allocation procedures and report the results and any unresolved deficiencies to the Board of Commissioners. Estimated Completion Date: Written cost-allocation procedures and supervisory review requirements will be implemented by October 31, 2026. The review and correction of the fiscal year 2025 property insurance allocation and prior-year allocation errors will be completed by December 31, 2026, with quarterly monitoring thereafter. Responsible Parties: Executive Director, financial and accounting personnel, applicable program staff, contracted accounting professionals, and Board of Commissioners.

Categories

Allowable Costs / Cost Principles HUD Housing Programs

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1230005 2025-008
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1230006 2025-009
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
14.871 SECTION 8 HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHERS $1.57M
14.850 PUBLIC AND INDIAN HOUSING $317,579
14.872 PUBLIC HOUSING CAPITAL FUND $136,583