The Sumter County Commission has failed to prepare year-end financial statements for recent fiscal years, a recent audit found.
According to the audit from the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts, the Sumter County Commission did not produce financial statements, including the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards, for the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years.
While no charges have been referred to the attorney general or local district attorney, the Sumter County Commission’s failure to have traditional financial statement audits for two fiscal years could impact the commission’s credit rating, ability to borrow money in the future, or eligibility for future federal funding.
“Several attempts were made to obtain year-end financial statements in order to perform a financial statement audit of the Commission’s activities and the results of its operations. However, the Commission did not prepare financial statements for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, as indicated in Finding 2023-001,” the audit said.
“The Chief Examiner notified the Commission that the Department has a duty to audit and examine the Commission’s books and records; therefore, a legal compliance examination would have to be performed in lieu of traditional financial statement audits for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2022 and September 30, 2023. The Commission’s failure to have traditional financial statement audits for the above referenced fiscal years may impact the Commission’s credit rating and/or ability to borrow money in the future. Additionally, if the Commission expended $750,000 or more in federal awards during any fiscal year, its failure to have the federal awards audited as required by Title 2 U. S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance) may result in the loss of future federal funding.”
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