Finding Text
Adjusting Journal Entries, Required Disclosures and Draft Financial Statements (material weakness)
Year ended June 30, 2024
Condition and Criteria: During the current year, adjusting journal entries, along with footnote disclosures were proposed by the auditors and accepted by the Authority to properly reflect the financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Some of the adjustments and footnote disclosures were related to recording receivables, payroll expense and payroll accruals, deferred revenue, capital assets and depreciation. In addition, a draft of the financial statements was prepared by the auditors and reviewed and accepted by the Authority. The inability of the Authority to prepare financial statements with full disclosures in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles is a material weakness in the entity’s internal control over financial reporting.
Effect: AU-C Section 265, entitled Communicating Internal Control Related Matters Identified in an Audit, issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) considers the need for significant adjusting journal entries and assistance when preparing the financial statements to be indicative of an internal control deficiency. Without this assistance, the potential risk exists of the Authority’s financial statements not conforming to generally accepted accounting principles.
Auditors’ Recommendation: Although auditors may continue to provide such assistance both now and in the future, under the new pronouncement, the Authority should continue to review and accept both proposed adjusting journal entries and footnote disclosures, along with the draft financial statements.
Grantee Response: Transit Authority of Warren County has received, reviewed and accepted all journal entries, footnote disclosures and draft financial statements proposed for the current year audit and will continue to review similar information in future years. Further, we acknowledge our responsibility for the financial statements and have the ability to make informed judgments on those financial statements. Management expects that it will continue to outsource the preparation of the annual financial statements to its audit firm as this is the most cost effective manner to produce this information.