An Audit Report on The Commission on State Emergency Communications' Disbursement of State Funds
March 2003
Report Number 03-020
Overall Conclusion
The Commission on State Emergency Communications (Commission) did not comply
with a General Appropriations Act requirement to inform the Comptroller of Public
Accounts (Comptroller) to reduce the Commission's appropriations from the State's
9-1-1 Service Fees Account by $5.3 million for the 2002-2003 biennium. This
$5.3 million was the amount of excess local funds that the regional planning
commissions (RPC) reported they held in accounts outside the State Treasury
and that could be used to reduce fiscal year 2003 appropriations.
In addition to not reporting the $5.3 million in local funds, the Commission
did not comply with a General Appropriations Act rider prohibiting it from making
any payments to RPCs before the RPCs had spent all of their local funds. In
fiscal year 2002 and the first quarter of fiscal year 2003, the Commission disbursed
$31.8 million to RPCs without ensuring that the RPCs spent their local funds
before they spent state funds.
Key Facts and Findings
- The Commission did not inform the Comptroller to reduce the Commission's
appropriations by $5.3 million for the 2002-2003 biennium.
- In fiscal year 2002 and the first quarter of fiscal year 2003, the Commission
disbursed $31.8 million in state funds to RPCs without ensuring that the RPCs
spent their local funds before they spent state funds.
- The Commission lacks key controls to protect the integrity of its financial data.
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