Finding Text
Finding 2023-006: Allowable Costs
Housing Choice Voucher Program – 14.871, Public Housing – 14.850
Material Weakness/Noncompliance – Allowable Costs
Criteria: In the Public Housing program, transfers out of the operating fund can only occur in very limited circumstances. This would preclude the Authority from using operating funds to provide temporary loans to programs with the Authority. Interfund transactions indicate the existence of temporary loans.
In the Housing Choice Voucher program, the transfers of HAP, and associated administrative fees, even temporarily, to support another program or use are not allowed and could be considered a breach of the annual contributions contract.
Condition: The Authority’s Public Housing program pays all of the operating expenses of the Authority and the expenses are allocated between both the Public Housing and Voucher programs. At June 30, 2022, the Voucher program had a receivable of $49,694.77 from Public Housing as it appeared the Voucher program had over-reimbursed Public Housing. During the year ending June 30, 2023, the expenses were correctly allocated to the Voucher program but no reimbursements occurred which resulted in the Voucher program now owing Public Housing $62,486.09 at June 30, 2023, a change of $112,180.86.
We further noted the Authority did not have procedures to adopt an operating budget for the Voucher program as a control to device to ensure operating costs were reasonable and the program remains financially viable.
Cause: The Authority did not have a system in place to reimburse shared expenses timely and the Authority was not monitoring the balances.
Effect or Potential Effect: The Authority was in noncompliance with the regulations regarding temporary loans to other Authority programs.
Recommendation: The large interfund balance was brought to the Authority’s attention by its fee accountant and $59,627.35 was paid from Voucher to Public Housing on July 7, 2023. The Authority should reimburse the remainder of the balance and establish procedures to reimburse shared expenses timely.
The Authority should also establish procedures to adopt an operating budget annually for the Voucher program. The operating budget should included with its monthly financial reports for a comparison of actual to budgeted figures.
View of the Responsible Officials of the Auditee: The auditee’s management agrees with the finding but can not reasonably adopt internal control procedures to correct the material weakness.