Finding 512874 (2024-004)

Material Weakness
Requirement
B
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2024
Accepted
2024-12-03

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Internal controls are ineffective, leading to noncompliance with federal program requirements.
  • Impacted Requirements: Issues include improper pricing of chemical inventory, lack of documentation for employee timecards, and incorrect application of indirect cost rates.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Strengthen internal controls, ensure proper documentation practices, and review cost allocation methods to align with grant agreements.

Finding Text

Condition and Context: Internal controls failed to prevent, detect, or correct noncompliance. During testing, the following were identified: The district charged the federal program chemical inventory priced above cost. Certain employee timecards had no supporting documentation or rational behind the allocation of specific activities and did not appropriately document time charged directly to the program. The indirect cost rate agreed to within the grant agreement was not used consistently across the indirect cost pool and indirect costs were charged to the program as direct costs.

Corrective Action Plan

Recommendation: We recommend that the district re-review all costs charged to the program and isolate direct costs that comply with cost principle requirements. This should only include costs that are documented as directly applicable to the program. Direct costs should be charged at cost. Indirect costs including overhead, general administrative salaries and wages, untracked employee time, coordination fees, and other general and administrative costs associated with inventories should then be excluded from being charged to the program and applied to the grant using the indirect cost rate outlined in the grant agreement and reported accordingly. Further, we recommend the district implement a method of secondary review and approval over calculations for the indirect cost rate to ensure it is calculated completely and correctly

Categories

Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Equipment & Real Property Management Internal Control / Segregation of Duties

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 512875 2024-005
    Significant Deficiency
  • 1089316 2024-004
    Material Weakness
  • 1089317 2024-005
    Significant Deficiency

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
10.720 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Community Wildfire Defense Grants $2.04M
10.665 Schools and Roads - Grants to States $30,759
15.517 Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act $19,963
15.230 Invasive and Noxious Plant Management $19,676
15.228 Blm Fuels Management and Community Fire Assistance Program Activities $1,530