Finding 499883 (2023-002)

FINDING 2023-002 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): SLFRP0752 Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Finding: Material Weakness INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 15 MONTGOMERY 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 April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, was required to be submitted to the Treasury by April 30, 2023. The County submitted the P&E report by April 30, 2023, as required; however, there were no internal controls in place that would likely be effective in preventing, or detecting and correcting, noncompliance related to the P&E report. The County Auditor prepared and submitted the report without an oversight or review process. The lack of internal controls was a systemic issue throughout the audit period. 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). . . ." Cause A proper system of internal controls over the P&E report was not designed by management of the County, which would include segregation of key functions to ensure the County provided the Treasury with complete and accurate information related to the SLFRF awards. Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the County's management statements of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls including policies and procedures that provide segregation of duties and additional oversight as needed, the internal control system may not have prevented or detected material noncompliance. Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the County. In addition, not meeting the SLFRF reporting requirements increases the likelihood that the public will not have access to transparent and accurate information regarding expenditures of federal awards. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 16 MONTGOMERY COUNTY SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that management of the County design and implement a proper system of internal controls with review and oversight of the P&E report, including policies and procedures 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. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 17