Finding 499555 (2023-004)

FINDING 2023-004 Subject: COVID-19 - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury Federal Program: COVID-19 - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Assistance Listings Number: 21.027 Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): OMB Approval #1505-0271 Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 19 FULTON COUNTY SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Condition and Context Recipients are required to submit quarterly or annually Project and Expenditure (P&E) reports to the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury). The reporting periods, as well as the respective due dates are based upon type of recipient and its population, as well as the recipient's allocation amount. Information to be reported includes projects funded, expenditures, and contracts for the appropriate reporting period. The County was classified as a county with a population below 250,000 residents that received an allocation of less than $10 million in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. As such, the P&E report, covering the period from March 3, 2022 to March 31, 2023, was required to be submitted to the Treasury by April 30, 2023. Though the P&E report was prepared by one employee and reviewed by another, the internal control was not effective did not detect and allow corrections of errors prior to submission. The County submitted the P&E report on June 16, 2023, which was 47 days after the due date. Additionally, the report was not mathematically accurate and complete. The key line items of "Total Cumulative Expenditures" and "Current Period Expenditures," as reported on the P&E report, did not agree to the County's ledger. Errors were as follows:  The "Total Cumulative Expenditures" line item was understated by $16,071.  The "Current Period Expenditures" line item was understated by $21,071. The lack of effective internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) 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. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." 31 CFR 35.4(c) states in part: "Reporting and requests for other information. During the period of performance, recipients shall provide to the Secretary periodic reports providing detailed accounting of the uses of funds, . . ." Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Compliance and Reporting Guidance, page 10, states in part: INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 FULTON COUNTY SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) ". . . 10. Reporting. All recipients of federal funds must complete financial, performance, and compliance reporting as required and outlined in Part 2 of this guidance. Expenditures may be reported on a cash or accrual basis, as long as the methodology is disclosed and consistently applied. Reporting must be consistent with the definition of expenditures pursuant to 2 CFR 200.1. Your organization should appropriately maintain accounting records for compiling and reporting accurate, compliant financial data, in accordance with appropriate accounting standards and principles. . . ." Cause The County did not timely submit the P&E report or verify that the information contained within the report accurately reflected the County's expenditures. The expenditures were understated in the report due to not including all activity for the reporting period. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the County cannot ensure that P&E reports are submitted timely and are materially accurate and correct. The reports contained the errors identified in the Condition and Context. In addition, not meeting the reporting requirements increases the likelihood that the public will not have access to transparent and accurate information regarding expenditures of federal awards. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that management of the County strengthen its system of internal controls to ensure that the County provides the Treasury with complete and accurate information for the P&E report. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.