Program -
AL #21.027 – COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds - Reporting
Grant Number & Year - SLFRP2949, March 3, 2021, through December 31, 2024
Federal Grantor Agency - U.S. Department of the Treasury
Criteria -
Title 2 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 200.303 (January 1, 2023) states the following, in relevant 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).
The U.S. Department of the Treasury adopted the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR § 1000.10 (January 1, 2023), which states the following:
Except for the deviations set forth elsewhere in this Part, the Department of the Treasury adopts the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, set forth at 2 CFR part 200.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued “Compliance and Reporting Guidance” and frequently asked questions, which specify the reporting requirements related to Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Such guidance required the completion of a Project and Expenditure Report by April 30, 2023.
A good internal control plan includes establishing effective internal controls through written policies and procedures to ensure Federal reporting requirements are completed accurately. Such plan should include, among other things, appropriate training on Federal reporting requirements and require a documented, detailed review of each report to be completed by a knowledgeable individual, who did not prepare the report, prior to
submission.
Condition - Lincoln County did not implement effective internal controls to ensure that the reporting requirements of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds were completed accurately. Consequently, the Project and Expenditure Report submitted on April 7, 2023, did not contain accurate information.
Repeat Finding - Yes
Questioned Costs - None
Statistical Sample - No
Context - Lincoln County reported Current Period Expenditures of $5,355,379; however, this amount did not include an expenditure of $253,681 made on November 28, 2022.
Additionally, all expenditures were reported under one project using Project Expenditure Category of Revenue Replacement and Project Expenditure Subcategory as Provision of Government Services.
Based on the expenditures made by Lincoln County using Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, it appears more appropriate for the County to have reported two projects. The first project provided $189,305 to local non-profits to support their food pantry operations. As such, it appears a Project Category of Negative Economic Impacts, and a project subcategory of Aid to Nonprofit Organizations would be more appropriate.
The second project included expenses totaling $5,419,755 and was correctly reported using a Project Category of Revenue Replacement and project subcategory of Provision of Government Services.
The Project Description on the Project and Expenditure Report described the County's efforts to provide food assistance. As only $189,305, or 3.5% of the reported expenditures, was paid to non-profit entities, it appears that a Project Description outlining how that majority of the funds were spent would be more appropriate.
Cause - Lack of procedures and knowledge relating to Federal reporting requirements.
Effect - Inaccurate information was reported to the U.S. Department of the Treasury on the April 2023 Project and Expenditure report. Additionally, the County is not in compliance with the reporting requirements set by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Recommendation - We recommend Lincoln County establish written policies and procedures to ensure Federal reporting requirements are completed accurately. Such procedures should include, among other things, appropriate training on Federal reporting requirements and a documented review by a knowledgeable individual who was not involved in the preparation of the report.
View of Officials - West Central NE Development District will need to collect reports from various offices (County Clerk & County Treasurer) to verify all expenditures and disbursements match and perform their own calculations.