Finding 1239796 (2025-001)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
ABHN
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-10-02
Audit: 414486
Organization: City of North Chicago (IL)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The SEFA inaccurately reported federal expenses for the Community Development Block Grant, with 100% of the sample showing misalignment in reporting periods.
  • Impacted Requirements: This finding affects compliance with federal reporting standards and may lead to misstatements in federal expenditures, impacting audit planning.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Management should establish a documented review process to ensure expenditures are reported in the correct fiscal year, supported by accurate records.

Finding Text

Material Weakness Finding 2025–001: Grant Reporting Federal Program: Community Development Block Grant / Entitlement Grants (ALN #14.218) Criteria: The SEFA should report federal awards expended during the period covered by the financial statements and be supported by accounting and grant records. Condition: For 1 out of 1 sample tested (100%), the auditee reported expenses for the federal program on the SEFA in a period different from when the related federal award activity occurred. Cause: SEFA preparation and review procedures did not consistently verify expenditure cutoff and proper fiscal year reporting before the schedule was finalized. Effect: Incorrect period reporting may misstate federal expenditures on the SEFA and affect major program determination, Single Audit planning, and compliance with federal reporting requirements. Questioned Costs: $242,876 Recommendation: Management should implement a documented SEFA cutoff review to verify that expenditures are reported in the correct fiscal year and supported by the general ledger and grant records. Corrective Action Plan: The City and the Comptroller will implement controls to properly report expenses on the SEFA in the correct period.

Corrective Action Plan

SECTION 5 – CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN Finding 2025-001: Grant Reporting Condition: For 1 out of 1 sample tested (100%), the auditee reported expenses for the federal program on the SEFA in a period different from when the related federal award activity occurred. Corrective Action Plan: Management should implement a documented SEFA cutoff review to verify that expenditures are reported in the correct fiscal year and supported by the general ledger and grant records. Anticipated Date of Completion: Fiscal Year 2026 Name of Contact Person: Tawanda Joyner, Comptroller Management Response: The City will strengthen its revenue posting process by ensuring fiscal year placement at the point of entry. Specifically, all revenue transactions that arrive at the beginning or end of the fiscal year will be reviewed by the Comptroller prior to posting to the general ledger to confirm the correct fiscal year coding and that the revenue is allocated to the appropriate period based on established cutoff and supporting documentation. After the Comptroller’s review and approval, Accounting will post the revenue to the correct fiscal year and update the related records to ensure tie-outs and reconciliation support reflect the corrected period.

Categories

Reporting Material Weakness

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
66.468 DRINKING WATER STATE REVOLVING FUND $745,211
14.218 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS/ENTITLEMENT GRANTS $242,876
16.710 PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERSHIP AND COMMUNITY POLICING GRANTS $222,131
21.027 CORONAVIRUS STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS $69,294