Finding 371923 (2023-008)

Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Federal Program Name: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) Emergency Rental Assistance Program Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 and 21.023 Federal Award Identification Numberand Year: ALN 21.027 -Pub. L. No. 117-2 2021 ALN 21.023 -ERA0335 2021 Award Period: ALN 21.027 - 5/10/2021 - 12/31/2026 ALN 21.023 - 1/20/2021 - 9/30/2022 Type of Finding: • Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance • Other Matters Criteria or specific requirement: According to§ 200.303 Internal controls of 2 CFR Part 200, the non-federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-federal entity is managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. According to § 200.331 Subrecipient and contractor determinations of 2 CFR Part 200, a pass-through entity must make case-by­ case determinations whether each agreement it makes for the disbursement of federal program funds casts the party receiving the funds in the role of a subrecipient or a contractor. According to § 200.332 Requirements for pass-through entities of 2 CFR Part 200, all pass-through entities must: • Evaluate each subrecipient's risk of noncompliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the subaward for purposes of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring. • Monitor the activities of the subrecipient as necessary to ensure that the subaward is used for authorized purposes, in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the subaward; and that subaward performance goals are achieved. • Verify that every subrecipient is audited as required by Subpart F ohhis part when it is expected that the subrecipient's federal awards expended during the respective fiscal year equaled or exceeded the threshold set forth in§ 200.501. • Consider whether the results of the subrecipient's audits, on-site reviews, or other monitoring indicate conditions that necessitate adjustments to the pass-through entity's own records. According to the City's subrecipient monitoring policies and procedures, monitoring of subrecipients shall be conducted as often as may be required at the discretion of the Community Development Division or at least once per program year. An annual Risk Assessment will be completed to determine a ranking for the activity. The Risk Assessment ranking score will determine whether a monitoring review will occur. According to the City's Sub-recipient Agreement, the Sub-recipient will provide to the Department of Family and Community Services cumulative quarterly program performance reports covering the Services provided under this Agreement. Reports are due no later than fifteen (15) days after the end of the reporting quarter, and shall be in accordance with City of Albuquerque reporting instructions. Condition: During our testing, it was noted that the City did not follow federal subrecipient monitoring and management regulation nor its subrecipient monitoring policies and procedures. Management's Progress for Repeat Findings: This is a repeated and modified.finding. While the City has improved its efforts, there are still opportunities for improvement to reasonably ensure compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and program compliance requirements as well as compliance with City policy. Questioned costs: None Context: During our testing, we noted the following exceptions related to subrecipient monitoring. ALN 21.027 • For one of the five subrecipients, the City did not utilize the risk assessment tool specific to ARPA which does have a different risk assessment ranking score determining the monitoring of the subrecipient. The City did, however, perform a monitoring visit for the subrecipient. • For one of the five subrecipients, the City was unable to locate the subrecipient/contract determination worksheet. • For one of the five subrecipients, the City was unable to locate the quarterly program performance reports submitted by the subrecipient. ALN 21.023 • For one of the five subrecipients, the most recent annual audit report for the year ended June 30, 2022 was not reviewed by the City nor included in the risk assessment. Cause: The City does not have sufficient internal controls to ensure appropriate risk assessment and subrecipient monitoring. Effect: The auditor noted instances of noncompliance. Recommendation: The City has developed standard City-wide subrecipient management and monitoring policies and procedures effective June 2023. We recommend the City design controls to ensure departments are abiding by the subrecipient management and monitoring policies and procedures including Individual departments that develop their own department­ specific and/or grant-specific subrecipient management policies and procedures. Management Response: The City agrees with the finding. The City's Grant Administrator will provide training to each City department which currently oversees subrecipients, ensuring that all department staff understand general and ARPA-specific subrecipient requirements. Additionally, the Grant Administrator will review City departments' subrecipient management checklists to ensure all required documentation is obtained from subrecipients and reviewed as required. This will be complete by June 30, 2024. Timeline and Responsible Position: June 2024 - Grants Administrator