City of Crystal LakeLocal Government

Condition Found: During audit fieldwork, the auditors spoke to City Staff about the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Loan reimbursements the City had received during FY2022. The question was whether or not the expenditures we asked to be reimbursed for were eligible because the expense was incurred prior to the loan being approved. The expenditures in question had already been reimbursed to the City from the IEPA and were considered eligible expenditures. When the request from the auditors came for the account numbers that the expenditures had been paid out of, City Staff realized that the majority of these older invoices had been paid with proceeds from the 2015 GO Note issuance, and as such were not eligible to be reimbursed by the IEPA. City Staff relayed this discovery to the auditors and recorded an adjustment to reduce the receivable from the IEPA ($260,749.30) that were not eligible. The City has worked with the consultant managing the project at Baxter and Woodman, and the IEPA, to remedy the issue with a reduction to the City's next distribution. The IEPA loan has not been closed out as of this date, allowing for the reduction without significant impact. Corrective Action Plan: Going forward, the Public Works Department will forward the IEPA Loan draw requests to the Finance Department to be reviewed before being submitted to the IEPA for reimbursement. The Finance Department was not included in the draw request prior to this finding. By having the Finance Department review the draw requests, we can ensure that all items submitted for reimbursement are eligible. Staff at Baxter and Woodman, who package invoices for submittal to the IEPA on behalf of the City, will also be reviewing invoices more closely before submittal as an independent verification. Implementation Date: This change is effective immediately and the Finance Department has already started reviewing the next invoices being submitted to the IEPA for reimbursement.