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Title:
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RECEIVE and FILE the Independent Auditor's Report on:
A. Schedule of Revenues and Expenditures for Measure M Special Revenue Fund for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2021, completed by BCA Watson Rice, LLP (BCA);
B. Compliance with Requirements Applicable to Measure M Ordinance and Measure M Local Return Guidelines for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2021, completed by Vasquez & Company, LLP (Vasquez); and
C. Compliance with Requirements Applicable to Measure M Ordinance and Measure M Local Return Guidelines for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2021, completed by Simpson & Simpson, CPAs (Simpson).
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Indexes:
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Audit, Evaluation and assessment, Financial Audit, Guidelines, Informational Report, Local Returns, Measure M, Measure R, Schedules and scheduling
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Meeting_Body
MEASURE M INDEPENDENT TAXPAYER
OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
MARCH 2, 2022
Subject
SUBJECT: MEASURE M AUDITS OF FISCAL YEAR 2021
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE and FILE the Independent Auditor's Report on:
A. Schedule of Revenues and Expenditures for Measure M Special Revenue Fund for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2021, completed by BCA Watson Rice, LLP (BCA);
B. Compliance with Requirements Applicable to Measure M Ordinance and Measure M Local Return Guidelines for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2021, completed by Vasquez & Company, LLP (Vasquez); and
C. Compliance with Requirements Applicable to Measure M Ordinance and Measure M Local Return Guidelines for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2021, completed by Simpson & Simpson, CPAs (Simpson).
Issue
ISSUE
On November 9, 2016, Los Angeles County voters approved Measure M that imposed a half-cent transaction and use tax for transportation and the indefinite extension of an existing half-cent sales tax (Measure R) also dedicated to transportation and originally set to expire in 2039. Measure M, also known as the Los Angeles County Traffic Improvement Plan Ordinance (Ordinance), establishes an Independent Taxpayer Oversight Committee and an oversight process to ensure that the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) complies with the terms of the Ordinance. The oversight process requires that an annual audit be completed within six months after the end of the fiscal year to determine compliance with the provisions of the Ordinance related to the receipt and expenditure of sales tax revenues during the fiscal year. The audit must be provided to the Oversight Committee in order for the Oversight Committee to determine whether LACMTA and local subrecipients have complied with the Measure M requirements. In addition, the Ordinance requires that Metro hold a public hearing to obtain the public's input on the audit results.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The following summarizes the independent auditor's report on Schedule of Revenues and Expenditures for Measure M Special Revenue Fund:
Management Audit Services contracted with BCA to perform the independent audit of the LACMTA, as required by the Ordinance. BCA conducted the audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America and the standards applicable to financial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States. Those standards require that BCA plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the Schedule of Measure M Revenues and Expenditures (Schedule) is free of material misstatement.
The auditors found that the Schedule referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the Measure M Revenues and Expenditures of LACMTA for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The auditors also found that LACMTA complied, in all material respects, with the requirements of the Ordinance for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021.
The following summarizes the independent auditor's report on Compliance with Requirements Applicable to Measure M Ordinance and Measure M Local Return Guidelines:
Management Audit Services contracted with two firms, Vasquez and Simpson, to conduct the audits of Measure M sales tax revenues used by the County of Los Angeles (County) as well as the 88 cities (Cities). The firms conducted the audit of compliance in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America and the standards applicable to financial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States. Those standards require that the independent auditors plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether noncompliance with the requirements in the Ordinance, which could have a direct and material effect on the Measure M Local Return program occurred.
Vasquez concluded that the County and the Cities, complied in all material respects with the requirements in the Ordinance that are applicable to the Measure M Local Return program for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021. Vasquez found three (3) instances of noncompliance, which are summarized in Schedule 2 of Attachment B. Resolution of the instances of noncompliance is discussed in another item within this agenda titled Measure M Local Return Compliance Status.
In all material respects, Simpson concluded that the Cities complied with the requirements in the Ordinance applicable to the Measure M Local Return program for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021. Simpson found six (6) instances of noncompliance, which are summarized in Schedule 2 of Attachment C. Resolution of the instances of noncompliance is discussed in another item within this agenda titled Measure M Local Return Compliance Status.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
A public hearing will be scheduled.
Attachments
ATTACHMENT(S)
A. Independent Auditor's Report on Schedule of Revenues and Expenditures for Measure M Special Revenue Fund for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2021 (BCA)
B. Report on Compliance with Requirements Applicable to Measure M Ordinance and Measure M Local Return Guidelines (Vasquez)
C. Report on Compliance with Requirements Applicable to Measure M Ordinance and Measure M Local Return Guidelines (Simpson and Simpson)
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Lauren Choi, Sr. Director, Audit, (213) 922-3926
Monica Del Toro, Audit Support Manager, (213) 922-7494
Reviewed_by
Reviewed by: Shalonda Baldwin, Executive Officer, Administration, (213) 418-3265