OSA Weekly Update - 7/12/2024

1. Message from Auditor Blaha

2. Pension: Schedule Form Certification Deadline

3. Available: 2024 TIF Training – Live Webinars

4. Avoiding Pitfall: Segregation of Billing Duties


1. Message from Auditor Blaha

On Thursday, the Office of the State Auditor (OSA) retracted the 2023 Local Government Lobbying Services Report after a county alerted the OSA that there was an error in their reporting. We’re working with the entity on correcting the information and will issue an updated report next week; while the major takeaway from the report will be the same, the specific figures will change. We appreciate the entity quickly reaching out to our Office once they noticed the error in the report. If you notice an error of any sort, contact us at state.auditor@osa.state.mn.us.

2. Pension: Schedule Form Certification Deadline

The 2024 Schedule Form for defined-benefit lump-sum fire relief associations is required to be certified on or before August 1, 2024. The certification must be made to the entity responsible for satisfying the minimum required contribution of the relief association’s special fund.

The 2024 Schedule Form helps determine a relief association’s projected assets and liabilities for 2024 and the minimum required contribution for 2025. The OSA's Statement of Position provides additional information on municipal contribution requirements.


3. Available: 2024 TIF Training – Live Webinars

The Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Division is pleased to announce the following training opportunities on topics related to TIF. These training topics will be presented as live webinars at no cost. Recordings of the webinars will also be available after the sessions.


• An Introduction to TIF — Tuesday, July 23, 2-3 p.m.
• Authority Administrators Training — Thursday, July 25, 1:30-3 p.m.

For more information and to register, visit the OSA website.
If you have any questions, contact the TIF Division at TIF@osa.state.mn.us or 651-296-4716.


4. Avoiding Pitfall: Segregation of Billing Duties

Local governments bill or invoice for a variety of services such as utilities, fees, and rents or leases. Whenever possible, the public employee who prepares or revises the bill/invoice should not be the person who handles the cash or checks collected from the bill/invoice. Funds have been embezzled when employees responsible for taking in the receipts were able to hide their thefts by manipulating the related bills/invoices.

Any reductions in the billed amount should be approved by someone other than the person taking in the related receipts. On a regular basis, reconciliations between the billed, collected, and outstanding amounts should be performed.

The full avoiding pitfall is available on the OSA Website.