AUDITORS REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2002
In Planning and performing our audit of the financial statements of the Town of Dunbarton, New Hampshire for the year ended December 31, 2002 we considered the Town’s internal control structure to determine our auditing procedures for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the financial statements and not to provide assurance on the internal control structure.
During the course of our audit, we did become aware of
several matters that are opportunities for strengthening internal controls and
operating efficiency. The memorandum
that accompanies this letter summarizes our current year’s findings and
recommendations. This letter does not
affect our report dated
We will review the status of these comments during our
next audit engagement. We have already
discussed these comments and suggestions with Town personnel and we will be
pleased to discuss them in further detail at your (their) convenience, to
perform any additional study of these matters or to assist (the town) in
implementing our recommendations.
Respectfully
submitted,
Mason
& Rich Professional Association
Certified
Public Accountants
CURRENT YEAR’S FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
TOWN OFFICE:
GENERAL – GASB #34:
Finding: GASB’s (Governmental Accounting Standard Board) Standard
#34 requires municipalities to implement a wide range and dramatic change in
their accounting and reporting. In
particular, the Standard requires that municipal entities adopt the full
accrual basis of accounting – this means that all assets owned by the Town,
including land, land improvements, buildings, vehicles, etc., must be
capitalized and depreciation expense taken on the assets over their estimated
useful lives. In addition, the Standard
requires a dramatic change in the financial statement formats that are to be
presented. Consequently, the cost to local
communities to implement GASB #34 is very steep and raises the question of does
the cost justify the benefit for a community of Dunbarton’s
size. For example, we are anticipating
that just the cost of the audit alone could at least double under GASB
#34. This does not include the cost to
the Town of obtaining the required information to be GASB #34 compliant.
The Town, for financial reporting purposes, will need to
become compliant with GASB #34 by 2004.
The Town, through the Board of Selectmen, needs to determine the cost
benefit of a decision to become GASB #34 compliant. The Town does not currently have any bond
issues either outstanding or pending in the immediate future. The bond bank now requires that any
municipality seeking a bond issue through them have an annual audit. The Town does not now participate in any Federal
or State pass through grant programs that entail the expenditure of $300,000 or
more annually.
Absent the requirements from outside agencies such as the
bond bank, why does the Town need to incur the costs of an audit under the
requirements of GASB #34? DRA has
determined that the MS-5 will continue to be completed on the modified accrual
basis of accounting as is currently done.
If the Town would like an auditor’s review of the Town in the immediate
future, special audits of portions of the Town’s functions could be done on a
rotating basis annually, such as an audit of the Tax Collector one year, Town
Clerk another, Town Office, etc. In
addition to this service, the MS-5 could be prepared (complied) for the Town,
again without the Town under going a full audit for the short term.
Benefit:
The Town would continue to have the benefit of services provided by a
certified public accountant and would be able to meet the annual requirements
of DRA for the MS-5. In addition, audit
services could be provided annually for a portion of the Town’s
activities. The Town could implement
GASB #34, but could look at doing this over a number of years rather in 2004.
Management’s Comments: The Town of
Finding:
The Town currently runs mostly on the cash basis during the year, with
adjustments done at year end either by the auditors or the Town Office to
adjust the books to the modified accrual basis of accounting.
Recommendation:
With the changes as detailed above with the implementation of GASB #34,
the Town MUST begin to upgrade it’s accounting methods during the year so that
at year end the Town’s books have already been adjusted to the modified accrual
basis of accounting. This would include
adjusting the liability to the School to the amounts due at year end, recording
payables at year end through the accounting software payables module for bills
for services rendered during the year but not billed to the Town until after
year end, accrued payroll liabilities at year end and adjusting tax receivables
and revenue accounts monthly during the year.
Benefit:
During the year, the Town’s books would at any time reflect the proper
reporting of the modified accrual basis of accounting which is the basis that
DRA is currently intending on using when setting the tax rate, even after the
implementation of GASB #34.
Management’s Comments: The Town agrees with the recommendation and
this is being addressed by the Town.
Finding: We
noted a number of items at year end that indicated additional training in the
use of the accounting software may be needed at this time, especially with the
turn over of Town personnel. In
particular, we noted that the trial balance was not in balance at year end and
that the payables shown as payable at year end from the payables module were
substantially less than the amount that the accounts payable account indicated
the Town owed at year end. **
Recommendation:
We would recommend additional training of the Town Office personnel in
the use of the current accounting software.
This training would include the reports that must be run and balanced at
the end of each month. In addition, with
the implementation of GASB #34 and our previous recommendation for reporting on
the modified accrual basis, this training could also include an overview of the
monthly accounting entries that this would entail.
Management’s Comments: The Town agrees with the recommendation and
this is being addressed by the Town.
**Note: It was
discovered that the unbalanced accounts at year end were due to an error in the
accounting program. This problem has
since been corrected by the computer software company.
SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS:
Finding:
The Town has a number of Special Revenue funds, other than the Library,
that are not on the accounting software but rather are tracked manually,
outside of the normal accounting controls in place at the Town Office. While we did not note a complete lack of accounting
controls for any one committee, we make this general recommendation to apply to
the minimum accounting controls for all of the committees, excluding the
Library.
Recommendation:
While we are not questioning the integrity of any individual involved
with the accounting for the committees, we do believe that additional minimum
accounting controls need to be in place.
We understand that often the individuals involved with these committees
are volunteers who give freely of their own time.
We would recommend that the Town set required minimum
accounting controls (sort of an oversight or review of financial activity
during the year) in place from one of the following two options: (1)
Have two individuals involved in the financial aspects of the committee
so that one can check the other or (2) Require the individual responsible for
the financial aspects to report at least quarterly to the committee and have an
individual from the committee at least once a year at random review the
financial records of the committee. We
do not intend that these requirements be overly burdensome and by no means do
we raise these suggestions based upon our audit tests. Rather, as the committees and their functions
continue to increase, we would recommend that now is the time to establish
minimum accounting controls to be used in the future.
Management’s Comment: The Town agrees with the recommendation and
this is being addressed by the Town.