Finding 571438 (2024-004)

FINDING 2024-004 Subject: Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture Federal Program: Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities Assistance Listings Number: 10.760 Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): FY2024 Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2023-003. Condition and Context As part of sound management of the federal award, the Town was responsible for implementing a system of internal controls that would ensure compliance with the applicable requirements. The Town had not properly designed or implemented such a system, which would include appropriate segregation of duties, that would likely be effective in preventing, or detecting and correcting, noncompliance. The Town was required to submit the following reporting to the Department of Agriculture annually: • Statement of Budget, Income, and Equity (Form RD 442-2) • Balance Sheet (Form RD 442-3) INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 TOWN OF PAOLI SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) The Form RD 442-2 covers financial operations relating to the Town's wastewater utility and the Form RD 442-3 presents the financial status of the wastewater utility. In both instances, a borrower may submit the financial data on other forms, provided the forms are in a similar format and signed and dated by the organization's official to certify the correctness of the information. Alternatively, an annual audit may be submitted in lieu of the forms. The Town did not submit the Form RD 442-2 during the audit period as required. The Town submitted the Form RD 442-3 reporting 2023 data in 2024 as required. However, this report is intended to be a comparative balance sheet as described in the USDA Rural Utilities Service Borrower's Guide. The Town did not include comparative data for 2022 in the report. There was also no documentation or other evidence of an oversight, review, or approval process for the report that was filed. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. Criteria 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). . . ." 2 CFR 200.302(b) states in part: "The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following . . . (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. . . ." 7 CFR 1780.47 states in part: "(a) Borrowers are required to provide RUS an annual audit or financial statements. . . . (e) Borrowers exempt from audits. All borrowers who are exempt from audits, will, within 60 days following the end of each fiscal year, furnish the RUS with annual financial statements, consisting of a verification of the organization's balance sheet and statement of income and expense by an appropriate official of the organization. Forms RD 442-2, 'Statement of Budget, Income and Equity,' and 442-3 may be used. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22 TOWN OF PAOLI SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) (f) Management reports. These reports will furnish management with a means of evaluating prior decisions and serve as a basis for planning future operations and financial strategies. In those cases where revenues from multiple sources are pledged as security for an RUS loan, two reports will be required; one for the project being financed by RUS and one combining the entire operation of the borrower. In those cases where RUS loans are secured by general obligation bonds or assessments and the borrower combines revenues from all sources, one management report combining all such revenues is acceptable. The following management data will be submitted by the borrower to the processing office. These reports at a minimum will include a balance sheet and income and expense statement. . . . (2) Annual management reports. Prior to the beginning of each fiscal year the following will be submitted to the processing office. (If Form RD 442-2 is used as the annual management report, enter data in column three only of Schedule 1, and complete all of Schedule 2.) (i) Two copies of the management reports and proposed 'Annual Budget'. (ii) Financial information may be reported on Form RD 442-2 which includes Schedule 1, 'Statement of Budget, Income and Equity' and Schedule 2, 'Projected Cash Flow' or information in similar format. (iii) A copy of the rate schedule in effect at the time of submission. . . ." Cause The Clerk-Treasurer was only in her first year of her first term in office when these were due. As such, she was unfamiliar with the reporting requirements of the grant. Effect Without a proper system of internal controls in place that operated effectively, the Town did not file one of the two required reports, and the report that was filed was incomplete. As a result, material noncompliance occurred and remained undetected. By not reporting the comparative data, all information needed to determine the true financial status of the Town was not readily available. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the Town's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop and implement reporting policies and procedures to ensure that all required reports are filed timely, accurately, and contain all the required information. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.