Housing and Redevelopment Authority of Chisholm, MinnesotaLocal Government

Audit Finding 2023-001 – Lack of Segregation of Duties Criteria: Internal control is a process, affected by the Housing and Redevelopment Authority of Chisholm, Minnesota's (the Authority) board of commissioners, management, and other personnel, designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of objectives in the following categories: effectiveness and efficiency of operations, reliability of financial reporting, and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. A good system of internal control provides for an adequate segregation of duties so that no one individual handles a transaction from its inception to completion. Condition: Due to the limited employees and resources available to the Authority, many aspects of the internal control structure that rely on segregation of duties are missing. Specific accounting processes noted that are affected by the lack of segregation of duties include: cash disbursements, payroll disbursements, cash receipting, and specific reporting functions required for the Authority. Cause: Due to the limited number of personnel within the Authority, segregation of the accounting functions necessary to ensure adequate internal accounting control is not possible. This is not unusual in operations the size of the Authority; however, management should constantly be aware of this condition and realize that the concentration of duties and responsibilities in a limited number of individuals is not desirable from an accounting point of view. Effect: Inadequate segregation of duties could adversely affect the Authority’s ability to detect misstatements in amounts that would be material in relation to the financial statements in a timely period by personnel in the normal course of performing their assigned functions. Recommendation: We recommend that the Authority’s board of commissioners and management be aware of the lack of segregation of the accounting functions and, where possible, implement oversight procedures to ensure the internal control policies and procedures are being implemented by personnel to the extent possible. View of Responsible Officials: Management agrees with the finding.

Federal Award Finding - 2023-002 – Cash Management Criteria: 24 CFR section 905 requires a PHA to have an eligible operating fund expenditure that is due and payable within 3 days of disbursing funds from the capital fund. Condition: The Authority did not always make disbursements within three business days of advances from the U.S. Treasury. Cause: The Authority was not fully aware of the compliance requirements of the Capital Fund Program. Effect: The Authority did not maximize the efficiency of fund transfers from the U.S. Treasury. Recommendation: The Authority should ensure that drawdowns from the U.S. Treasury are done in a manner that does not violate 31 CFR Part 205. Drawdowns should either be made on a reimbursement basis or when management can ensure subsequent disbursement within three business days. Questioned Costs: None View of Responsible Officials: Management agrees with the finding.

Federal Award Finding - 2023-003 – Special Tests and Provisions Criteria: Under the Special Tests and Provisions Capital Funds for Operating Costs compliance requirement for the Public Housing Capital Fund Program (CFP) (Assistance Listing Number 14.872), capital funds transferred to operations (Budget Line Item (BLI) 1406) are not considered obligated until the PHA has budgeted and drawn down the funds. To meet this requirement, the funds must be budgeted in BLI 1406 – Operations and the Authority must submit the voucher request in the electronic Line of Credit Control System (LOCCS). The Authority’s reported obligation amount in LOCCS must be the same amount in the Authority’s accounting system since the date of the voucher request in the LOCCS is the point of obligation for funds in BLI 1406. The voucher request date must occur before those funds are reported as obligated in LOCCS under the Obligations & Expenditure tab (24 CFR section 905.314(1)). Condition: During our audit, we noted CFP funds used for operations were not budgeted for in their capital fund budget. Cause: The Authority did not have any funds CFP funds budgeted for operations. Effect: The Authority is not in compliance with the special test and provisions of CFP compliance requirements. Recommendation: We recommend that the Authority develop internal controls pertaining to obligations and expenditures of federal awards to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations. Questioned Costs: None View of Responsible Officials: Management agrees with the finding.