Finding 516868 (2023-004)

Material Weakness
Requirement
L
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2023
Accepted
2024-12-26

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The District submitted all quarterly reports with incorrect information, indicating a lack of proper internal controls.
  • Impacted Requirements: Reports must adhere to OMB guidelines and the District’s grant agreement, which mandates accurate financial reporting.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Establish review policies and procedures to ensure all reports are accurate before submission to ODOT.

Finding Text

2 CFR § 1201.1 except as otherwise provided in this part, the Department of Transportation adopts the Office of Management and Budget Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR part 200). 2 CFR § 200.328 states unless otherwise approved by OMB, the Federal awarding agency must solicit only the OMB-approved governmentwide data elements for collection of financial information (at time of publication the Federal Financial Report or such future, OMB-approved, governmentwide data elements available from the OMB-designated standards lead). This information must be collected with the frequency required by the terms and conditions of the Federal award, but no less frequently than annually nor more frequently than quarterly except in unusual circumstances. The Federal awarding agency must use OMB-approved common information collections, as applicable, when providing financial and performance reporting information. The District’s grant agreement states on or before the 20th day of the first month of each quarter and until the budget period end date of December 31, 2026, the Recipient shall submit to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) a Quarterly Project Progress Report and Recertification. During testing we noted four out of four (100%) of the District’s quarterly reports were submitted to USDOT with the incorrect expenditures, report period or grant period. Due to the deficient internal control structure, elements of the reporting requirements were not properly submitted during Fiscal Year 2023. Failure to properly submit quarterly reports could result in ODOT taking action against the District for failure to comply with programmatic requirements. The District should implement policies and procedures to review the reports prior to submission to ODOT, to help ensure the reports are complete and accurate.

Corrective Action Plan

The position of Grants Coordinator has been created and filled to handle grants management functions which will ensure proper quarter end dates and expenditures appropriate for the period are reported. Under the new process, the Grant Coordinator collaborates with the Construction Financial Administrator to complete forms which are then reviewed with the Director of Grants and CFO prior to submission.

Categories

Reporting Allowable Costs / Cost Principles

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 516866 2023-003
    Material Weakness
  • 516867 2023-003
    Material Weakness
  • 516869 2023-003
    Material Weakness
  • 1093308 2023-003
    Material Weakness
  • 1093309 2023-003
    Material Weakness
  • 1093310 2023-004
    Material Weakness
  • 1093311 2023-003
    Material Weakness

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
20.933 National Infrastructure Investments $10.39M
21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $1.50M
15.916 Outdoor Recreation_acquisition, Development and Planning $750,000
66.469 Great Lakes Program $333,696
11.463 Habitat Conservation $153,479
11.419 Coastal Zone Management Administration Awards $100,000
16.710 Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants $44,858
10.664 Cooperative Forestry Assistance $26,572
10.680 Forest Health Protection $2,300
93.325 Paralysis Resource Center $780