We audited the City of Mesa’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program based on (1) a hotline complaint alleging CDBG noncompliance; (2) a prior U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General, audit (2011-LA-1006), which determined that the City needed to improve how it administered its Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 funds; and (3) our objective to promote fiscal responsibility and financial accountability. The audit objective was to determine whether the City administered its CDBG program funds in compliance with HUD requirements; specifically, whether it (1) awarded funds that met a CDBG national objective, (2) spent funds only for activities that were eligible and supported, and (3) adequately monitored subrecipients.
We determined that the complaint had some merit and that the City did not administer its program in accordance with HUD requirements. Specifically, the City did not always (1) ensure that its CDBG activities met a national objective or that subrecipients followed HUD’s requirements or its own subrecipient agreements, (2) maintain adequate documentation, and (3) implement adequate internal controls. This condition occurred because the City did not always have sufficient knowledge of and disregarded HUD’s and its own requirements when it administered its CDBG program. As a result, the City was unable to support that it spent more than $3.1 million on CDBG activities that met HUD requirements. There was also little assurance that the City would use the additional $225,000 allocated for similar activities in compliance with HUD requirements.
We recommended that the Director of HUD’s San Francisco Office of Community Planning and Development require the City to (1) support the eligibility of more than $3.1 million in CDBG costs or repay its program from non-Federal funds, (2) suspend $225,000 in activities until it can show that the activities meet program requirements, (3) implement its policies and procedures that require adequate documentation to be maintained, and (4) develop and implement adequate and effective internal controls.
Recommendations
Community Planning and Development
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-AOpenClosed$300,000.00Questioned Costs
Recommendations with questioned costs identify costs: (A) resulting from an alleged violation of a law, regulation, contract, grant, or other document or agreement governing the use of Federal funds; (B) that are not supported by adequate documentation (also known as an unsupported cost); or (C) that appear unnecessary or unreasonable.
Closed on March 09, 2022Support the Child Crisis of Arizona campus creation project phase one met a national objective and was necessary and reasonable or repay its program $300,000 from non-Federal funds.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-BOpenClosedClosed on March 25, 2021
Improve and implement stronger policies and procedures for reviewing potential activities for funding, which include ensuring that they are necessary and reasonable, that the service area for the low- and moderate-income area benefit national objective includes the entire area served by the activity, and that the City has addressed concerns from those reviewing the application.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-COpenClosed$1,150,000.00Questioned Costs
Recommendations with questioned costs identify costs: (A) resulting from an alleged violation of a law, regulation, contract, grant, or other document or agreement governing the use of Federal funds; (B) that are not supported by adequate documentation (also known as an unsupported cost); or (C) that appear unnecessary or unreasonable.
Closed on November 03, 2020Support that the Eagles Park activity met an eligible CDBG national objective or repay its program $1,150,000 from non-Federal funds.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-DOpenClosed$981,779.00Questioned Costs
Recommendations with questioned costs identify costs: (A) resulting from an alleged violation of a law, regulation, contract, grant, or other document or agreement governing the use of Federal funds; (B) that are not supported by adequate documentation (also known as an unsupported cost); or (C) that appear unnecessary or unreasonable.
Closed on September 29, 2021Support that the Save the Family Community Conference Center activity met a national objective or repay its program $981,779 from non-Federal funds.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-EOpenClosed$249,300.00Questioned Costs
Recommendations with questioned costs identify costs: (A) resulting from an alleged violation of a law, regulation, contract, grant, or other document or agreement governing the use of Federal funds; (B) that are not supported by adequate documentation (also known as an unsupported cost); or (C) that appear unnecessary or unreasonable.
Closed on November 03, 2020Support that the Kleinman Park activity met a national objective or repay its program $249,300 from non-Federal funds and correct the installation of the playground fossils or repay the program from non-Federal funds.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-FOpenClosed$175,975.00Questioned Costs
Recommendations with questioned costs identify costs: (A) resulting from an alleged violation of a law, regulation, contract, grant, or other document or agreement governing the use of Federal funds; (B) that are not supported by adequate documentation (also known as an unsupported cost); or (C) that appear unnecessary or unreasonable.
Closed on September 22, 2021Support that the West Mesa CDC special economic development activities for fiscal years 2016 and 2017 met a national objective and that expenses were adequately supported and for eligible activities or repay its program $175,975 from non-Federal funds.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-GOpenClosed$65,000.00Funds Put to Better Use
Recommendations that funds be put to better use estimate funds that could be used more efficiently. For example, recommendations that funds be put to better use could result in reductions in spending, deobligation of funds, or avoidance of unnecessary spending.
Closed on June 17, 2021Ensure that the $65,000 microenterprise activity awarded to West Mesa CDC for fiscal year 2019 meets CDBG requirements or amend the use of funding to another CDBG-eligible activity.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-HOpenClosed$192,563.00Questioned Costs
Recommendations with questioned costs identify costs: (A) resulting from an alleged violation of a law, regulation, contract, grant, or other document or agreement governing the use of Federal funds; (B) that are not supported by adequate documentation (also known as an unsupported cost); or (C) that appear unnecessary or unreasonable.
Closed on April 26, 2022Support that the Ability360 Mesa Home Accessibility activity for fiscal years 2015, 2016, and 2017 followed HUD requirements and its subrecipient agreement or repay its program $192,563 from non-Federal funds. This includes supporting that all activities met the national objective requirements and were for rental properties, contracts were properly procured, the 10 percent match subrecipient agreement requirement was met ($4,293) and properly accounted for, and contract expenses were adequately supported ($228).
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-IOpenClosed$6,809.00Funds Put to Better Use
Recommendations that funds be put to better use estimate funds that could be used more efficiently. For example, recommendations that funds be put to better use could result in reductions in spending, deobligation of funds, or avoidance of unnecessary spending.
Closed on March 25, 2022Ensure that the $6,809 allocated for the Mesa Home Accessibility activity for fiscal year 2017 meets HUD requirements or amend the use of funding to another CDBG-eligible activity.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-JOpenClosedClosed on March 25, 2021
Implement and reinforce its policies and procedures that require the City and its subrecipients to maintain adequate documentation to support the City’s CDBG program activities and maintain adequate documentation of subrecipient monitoring reviews. This includes tracking the status of monitoring reviews, communicating findings to subrecipients, and adequately resolving findings in a timely manner.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-KOpenClosed$105,688.00Questioned Costs
Recommendations with questioned costs identify costs: (A) resulting from an alleged violation of a law, regulation, contract, grant, or other document or agreement governing the use of Federal funds; (B) that are not supported by adequate documentation (also known as an unsupported cost); or (C) that appear unnecessary or unreasonable.
Closed on March 31, 2021Support that the findings for the fiscal years 2011 and 2014 NEDCO activity were adequately resolved or repay its program $105,688 from non-Federal funds.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-LOpenClosed$153,191.00Funds Put to Better Use
Recommendations that funds be put to better use estimate funds that could be used more efficiently. For example, recommendations that funds be put to better use could result in reductions in spending, deobligation of funds, or avoidance of unnecessary spending.
Closed on March 09, 2021Ensure that the remaining $153,191 budgeted for the 2010 NEDCO activity meets HUD requirements or amend the use of funds to another CDBG-eligible activity.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-MOpenClosedClosed on March 09, 2021
Develop and implement procedures to ensure that City employees responsible for desk and onsite monitoring reviews and its subrecipients are aware of HUD and subrecipient requirements for each type of activity funded.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-NOpenClosedClosed on March 30, 2021
Improve and implement its desk and onsite monitoring policies and procedures to strengthen its capacity to perform effective desk and onsite monitoring reviews of subrecipients and for using a risk assessment to schedule monitoring visits.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-OOpenClosedClosed on March 09, 2021
Develop and implement policies and procedures for reviewing expenses charged to CDBG from other City departments.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-POpenClosedClosed on May 27, 2021
Develop and implement a recurring training plan for City CDBG staff to ensure knowledge of HUD regulations and requirements.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-QOpenClosedClosed on March 24, 2022
Document and submit all activities to HUD for written approval to ensure that they are eligible activities that meet the CDBG national objective requirements before funding until recommendations 1B, 1J, and 1M to 1P are adequately implemented. This should include documenting all correspondence with HUD, including review and approval.
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Status2020-LA-1003-001-ROpenClosedClosed on March 28, 2022
Document and submit all payments to HUD for written approval before reimbursement until recommendations 1B, 1J, and 1M to 1P are adequately implemented. This should include documenting all correspondence with HUD, including review and approval.