CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN
Oversight Agency for Audit: U.S. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
The Town of Wakefield, Massachusetts respectfully submits the following corrective action plan for the year ended June 30, 2023.
Name and address of independent public accounting firm:
Powers & Sullivan, LLC
100 Quannapowitt Parkway, Suite 101
Wakefield, MA 01880
Audit period: July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023
The finding from the June 30, 2023, schedule of findings and questioned costs is discussed below. The finding is numbered consistently with the number assigned in the schedule.
FINDINGS—FEDERAL AWARD PROGRAMS AUDITS
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY
COVID-19 - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
Federal Assistance Listing Number 21.027
2023-001: Reporting to the Federal Government
Compliance Requirement: Reporting
Type of Finding: Compliance and Internal Control over Compliance – Other Matter
Criteria or Specific Requirement: Grantees must comply with reporting requirements established by the U.S. Treasury that includes reporting the total grant expenditures incurred for the reporting period. Since the Town is a Non-Entitlement Unit that was allocated less than $10.0 million in funding, the Town is required to submit, to the U.S. Department of Treasury, a project and expenditure report by April 30, 2022, and annually thereafter.
Condition: The Town submitted the annual project and expenditure report timely, however the expenditures reported as of June 30, 2023, did not reconcile with the Town’s accounting ledger.
Questioned Costs: None Reported.
Context: The Town filed the required project and expenditure report in a timely manner; however the current period expenditures and cumulative expenditures were overstated by $7,215,950 and $6,453,661, respectively. The discrepancies were due to a misunderstanding about how expenditures should be recognized on the project and expenditure report.
Effect: The expenditures reported on the Town’s project and expenditure report did not match the accounting ledger.
Cause: The Town reported the total allotment of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds as expended and obligated on the project and expenditure report, instead of the expenditures incurred and obligated as of March 31, 2023.
Recommendation: Management should implement procedures to ensure that current period and cumulative expenditures reported on the project all expenditure report are recorded in the corresponding period that they are reported on the Town’s general ledger. The Town should amend the previous submission so that the correct expenditures are reported.
Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Management made a good faith effort to submit its reporting to the U.S. Treasury on a timely basis. This was a misunderstanding regarding how the expenditures should be recognized on the project and expenditure report. Management plans to amend the previous submission and to implement procedures to properly report expenditures going forward.