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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009 06-01 CCM Joint Work Session with Financial Commission1 1 1 MINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA JOINT WORK SESSION WITH FINANCIAL COMMISSION JUNE 1, 2009 CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center City Council met in Joint Work Session with the Financial Commission called to order by Mayor Tim Willson at 6:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Mayor Tim Willson and Councilmembers Kay Lasman, Tim Roche, Dan Ryan, and Mark Yelich. Also present: City Manager Curt Boganey, Fiscal and Support Services Director Dan Jordet, and Deputy City Clerk Maria Rosenbaum. Others present were Financial Commissioners Philip Berglin, Mark Nemec, Susan Shogren Smith, and Rex Newman. COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT FOR 2008 AUDITOR'S OPINION, SPECIAL PURPOSE AUDIT REPORTS, MANAGEMENT REPORT MALLOY, MONTAGUE, KARNOWSKI RADOSOVICH, LTD. Malloy, Montague, Karnowski Radosovich, Ltd. had been selected for the City's Auditing Firm and Jim Eicthen was introduced to review the City's Management Report and Special Purpose Audit Report. Mr. Eichten informed that the City in general received a clean opinion and summarized the Management Report and Special Purpose Audit Report as follows: Understanding the Auditor's Responsibility Planned Scope and Timing of the Audit Audit Opinion and Findings As part of the audit's findings, there were seven matters involving the City's internal control over financial reporting that were considered. Mr. Eichten summarized the seven internal control findings as follows and informed that management was very cooperative and responded to the conditions: 06/01/09 -1- 2008 -1 Payroll Segregation of Duties The City does not have proper segregation of duties over the processing of payroll transactions and it is recommended that the City segregate these duties. 2008 -2 Lack of Management Approval Two areas within the accounting and reporting internal accounting control systems are lacking management approval and management is not in disagreement with this finding. First, bank reconciliations are reconciled monthly; however, these reconciliations are not approved by an appropriate level of management. These will be reviewed by the City Treasurer monthly and approval or modification will be noted in writing. Second, there is no approval of payroll by management, nor are payroll registers reviewed throughout the year. The allocation of payroll costs should also be monitored and approved by Department Heads on a periodic basis. The supervisor for the payroll technician will periodically review the payroll register on a random sample basis to assure accurate and appropriate transactions. Department Heads will periodically review the general ledger status of the payroll accounts measured against the fiscal year's budget. 2008 -3 Inadeauate Documentation of the Components of Internal Controls The City does not have formal written accounting and financial reporting procedures. There is no disagreement with this finding and the City will develop a procedures manual for accounting, payroll, and reporting procedures during 2009. 2008 -4 Utility Billing System The City has not established procedures regarding periodic verification of residential meter readings. This finding is one that should be eliminated next year with the City currently in the process of replacing all water meters and installing an automated utility billing system. 2008 -5 Capital Assets and Land Held for Resale Internal Controls The City was not including the cost of all land that the County identified as city owned, included a portion of land that was bought in the prior year with the intent of selling it this year, and had some land improvements recorded as land which were not being properly depreciated. There was no disagreement with this finding and the situations were addressed extensively and procedures are in place to assure that land held for resale is treated properly in the future at the point of purchase and /or sale. 06/01/09 -2- 1 1 1 1 1 1 2008 -6 Other Post- Employment Benefits (OPEB) The City does not have adequate documentation of the eligibility of retirees for other post employment benefits and certain eligibility requirements of City employees for retiree benefits are difficult to determine. There is no disagreement with this finding and the policy will be changed to require that retiring employees to whom the City's OPEB Program may be available will be required to provide the Human Resources Department with written proof from the Public Employees' Retirement Association (PERA) of Minnesota prior to the retirement date that the employee is eligible for full, unreduced PERA retirement benefits at the expected date of retirement. 2008 -7 Claims and Disbursements There was an incident where there was a timely delay from when the invoice was approved for payment and when it was sent back to the Finance Department for payment. The incident was reviewed by management, the cause for the violation discovered, and the invoice payment process was reiterated to the appropriate staff. In the future, invoices exceeding the 35 -day payment window will be paid with an additional 1.5 percent fee included as required by State Law. Mr. Eichten continued with the summarization of the Management Report and discussed that there were three sensitive factors requiring estimates affecting the financial statements. Those three were depreciation, net other post employment benefit liabilities, and land held for resale. Management expects any differences between estimates and actual amounts of these estimates to be insignificant. Mr. Eichten discussed and informed that pages four through eighteen of the Management Report were financial results and pointed out benchmarks for Legislation, Federal Recovery Act, Property Taxes, Taxable Market Values and Tax Capacity, Governmental Funds Revenue per Capita, General Fund Balance and Expenditures, Operating Revenue and Income (Loss), and Statement of Net Assets. Mr. Eichten wrapped up his summarization informing that the City had done an exceptional job on their Financial Report to receive a clean opinion and that the City continues to assess internal controls. Fiscal and Support Services Dan Jordet outlined the information that was provided this evening with regards to the 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the year ended December 31, 2008. There was discussion amongst the Council and Financial Commissioners regarding the economically hard challenges that cities are facing and financial situations the City is facing. ADJOURNMENT Councilmember Lasman moved and Councilmember Roche seconded to adjourn the Work Session at 8:20 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. 06/01/09 -3- STATE OF MINNESOTA) COUNTY OF HENNEPIN) CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER) The undersigned, being the duly qualified and appointed City Clerk of the City of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, certifies: 1. That attached hereto is a full, true, and complete transcript of the minutes of the Joint Work Session with Financial Commission Session of the City Council of the City of Brooklyn Center held on June 1, 2009. 2. That said meeting was held pursuant to due call and notice thereof and was duly held at Brooklyn Center City Hall. 3. That the City Council adopted said minutes at its June 8, 2009, Regular Session. inotAAk City Clerk 06/01/09 -4- ss. Certification of Minutes Mayor 1