State Auditor's E-Update - 7/16/2021
1. Message from Auditor Blaha
2. Reminder: Relief Association Benefit Level Changes
3. Update: New CTAS COVID Account Coding for CARES and ARPA funds
4. TIF: Making Corrections on TIF Annual Report
5. Avoiding Pitfall: Examine Bank Statements Promptly to Preserve Potential Claims
1. Message from Auditor Blaha
You read the E-Update, now take your insight to the next level: check out the OSA YouTube page. When we hold public meetings in our office, including our fire relief association working group and our upcoming fire state aid working group, we broadcast to the OSA YouTube channel. The YouTube channel also houses our training videos and press conferences. Even as we begin to transition back to in-person meetings, we will continue to broadcast all our public meetings virtually.
Our social media platforms on Facebook and Twitter are also a good resource to stay up-to-date on current happenings at the Office of the State Auditor:
At the OSA we continue to strive for increased transparency and accessibility. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to access the information you need in order to best serve your community.
2. Reminder: Relief Association Benefit Level Changes
Many relief associations review their finances in the summer, after completing their annual Schedule Form, and determine whether to seek a change to their benefit levels.
For more information on the process of changing a relief association’s benefit level, please see the Office of the State Auditor’s Statement of Position on this topic here.
3. Update: New CTAS COVID Account Coding for CARES and ARPA funds
With the previous Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) and now with the new American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for COVID-related expenditures, the Office of the State Auditor has updated the CTAS recommended chart of accounts. Please see our website for the updated codes at:
https://www.osa.state.mn.us/media/2zbnleel/covid-cares-and-arpa-funding-account-codes.pdf
4. TIF: Making Corrections on TIF Annual Report
As you prepare your TIF reporting form, you are able to change pre-populated information. If a cell containing pre-populated information is not locked, simply make the change and add a comment in the report to explain the change. If a cell is locked, explain the need for a change in a comment and we will work to update the information.
Be aware that changing information in one cell may affect information in cells elsewhere in the report. Please refer to our detailed instructions to see which cells would be affected by changing information. If a report needs to be resubmitted, please contact us at TIF@osa.state.mn.us.
5. Avoiding Pitfall: Examine Bank Statements Promptly to Preserve Potential Claims
Under Minnesota law, it is important that local governments preserve their legal rights against banks regarding unauthorized payments made from local government accounts. Under Minn. Stat. § 336.4-406 (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/336.4-406), once a bank (defined to include savings banks, credit unions, etc. “engaged in the business of banking”) sends an account statement to a customer, the customer has a duty to “exercise reasonable promptness” in examining the statement for unauthorized payments. If the statement discloses an unauthorized payment, it is the customer’s duty to “promptly notify the bank.” A customer that fails to fulfill this duty “is precluded from asserting” claims against the bank.
This Avoiding Pitfall is available on our website here.