Finding 529681 (2024-002)

Material Weakness
Requirement
P
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2024
Accepted
2025-03-24
Audit: 347582
Organization: Better Waterworks, Inc. (LA)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Federal grant revenues totaling $270,907 were not accurately recorded in the accounting records.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with Title 2 U.S. CFR Section 200.303, which mandates proper internal controls for managing federal awards.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Ensure all future federal grant revenues are accurately recorded to maintain reliable financial statements.

Finding Text

2024-002. Failure to Maintain Accurate Accounting Records for Federal Awards Criteria: Title 2 U. S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 200.303, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance) requires the recipient of federal awards to establish and maintain internal control over federal awards that provide reasonable assurance that the recipient is managing the federal awards in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. One of the objectives of internal control over compliance is to ensure that federal transactions are properly recorded and accounted for in the accounting records in order to permit the preparation of reliable financial statements, including the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards. Condition: Federal grant revenues in the amount of $270,907 were not properly recorded in the accounting records. Cause: Undetermined. Effect: Federal award transactions could be improperly reported in the financial statements and the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards. Recommendation: All future federal grant revenue should be properly recorded in the accounting records.

Corrective Action Plan

Management Response: Management acknowledges that federal grant proceeds were not posted to the designated grant revenue account and were instead recorded as water sales. However, a grant revenue account was already established for these funds, and this was an error in posting rather than a lack of proper account setup. The grant in question has now been fully expended and closed, so there will be no further transactions related to this specific award. Corrective Action Plan: Proper Posting Procedures – Going forward, any future federal grant funds will be recorded in the designated grant revenue account to ensure proper classification. Self-Review Process – The individual responsible for accounting will implement a self-review process to verify that all grant-related transactions are correctly posted. Person Responsible for Corrective Action: Becky Pullin, CFO Northeast Louisiana Utilities Anticipated Completion Date: March 31, 2025

Categories

Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Reporting Internal Control / Segregation of Duties

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1106123 2024-002
    Material Weakness

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $957,198