Finding 44164 (2022-001)

Significant Deficiency
Requirement
H
Questioned Costs
$1
Year
2022
Accepted
2023-06-27
Audit: 46090
Auditor: Uhy LLP

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Expenses of $33,494 were charged before the award's effective date, violating grant terms.
  • Impacted Requirements: Federal guidelines state costs must only be incurred during the specified funding period.
  • Recommended Follow-up: Implement a review process for grant agreements to ensure compliance with funding periods.

Finding Text

Section III - Federal Award Findings and Questioned Costs: 2022 -001: Period of performance Type: Significant deficiency in internal control over compliance, immaterial non-compliance Assistance Listing Number, Federal Agency, Program Name, Program Title, Pass-through Grantor, and Pass-through Name and Grant Number: - Assistance listing #20.507, U.S. Department of Transportation, Section 5307 - CRRSA Act FY 2021, MI-2022-010-00 Criteria: The federal award specified that the award could be used for up to 100% of operating expenses for the period from the effective date of this award through September 30, 2023. Where a funding period is specified, a non-federal entity may charge to the award only costs resulting from obligations incurred during the funding period and any pre-award costs authorized by the awarding agency. Condition: During our audit, we noted that expenses were charged to the award prior to the effective date of the award. Cause: The Commission received another similar operating grant from the same pass-through agency at the same time, which allowed expenses to be charged to the award starting on January 20, 2020, which management inadvertently considered as the start date for the grant. Context: $33,494 was requested prior to the effective date of the award. Questioned Costs: $33,494 Effect: Expenses were charged to the award prior to the effective date of the award. Recommendation: A second person should review the grant agreements and requests for funding to make sure the Commission is in compliance with the period of performance and other grant awards.

Corrective Action Plan

View of Responsible Official(s) and Planned Corrective Action: The Commission agrees that the finding identified by UHY occurred. Specifically, the Commission requested reimbursement of $33,494 of expenses prior to the period of performance start date of the award. The Commission has since remedied this finding by paying back the federal awarding agency in February 2023 for the amount and utilizing another federal grant to charge the expenses to. In the future, the review of grant reimbursement requests will explicitly include consideration that the expenses charged to an award are within the period of performance by documenting said period on the requests approval form.

Categories

Questioned Costs Period of Performance

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 620606 2022-001
    Significant Deficiency

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
20.509 Formula Grants for Rural Areas and Tribal Transit Program $1.21M
20.530 Public Transportation Innovation $84,000
20.505 Metropolitan Transportation Planning and State and Non-Metropolitan Planning and Research $40,000
20.507 Federal Transit_formula Grants $33,494
20.526 Buses and Bus Facilities Formula, Competitive, and Low Or No Emissions Programs $7,307