2024-08-20 Council FIN MinutesMinutes
FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING
August 20, 2024
Elected Officials Present Staff Present
Councilmember Will Chen (Chair) Kim Dunscombe, Acting Finance Director
Councilmember Jenna Nand Brian Tuley, Information Services Manager
Council President Vivian Olson (ex-officio) Scott Passey, City Clerk
Councilmember Susan Paine
Councilmember Michelle Dotsch
1. CALL TO ORDER
The Edmonds City Council Finance Committee meeting was called to order virtually and in the City
Council Conference Room, 121 – 5th Avenue North, Edmonds, at 4:30 pm by Councilmember Chen.
2. COMMITTEE BUSINESS
1. 2024.08.24 ERP Update
Mr. Tuley relayed plans to regularly update the finance committee on the status and progress of ERP
to ensure any items that need full council discussion can be scheduled. Since council approval of the
contract, it has been signed by the mayor and vendor and the City is on the vendor’s schedule to initiate
the process. He expected to hear during the fourth quarter 2024 when their team is assembled and
when the transition process will start in 2025. The packet includes a Roles & Responsibilities Matrix
that lists the roles in the project, the designated staff person and a brief biography of staff working on
the project.
Questions and discussion followed regarding the City’s fortune at having so many people with years of
experience including system implementation experience, whether it would be beneficial to have a
finance committee member participate in the City Steering Committee, purpose of the Steering
Committee, workflows and processes established by Tyler, providing updates to the finance committee,
designating Councilmember Chen to receive updates on the ERP along with Mayor Rosen, whether
project coding for special projects was within the scope of the ERP update, and including project
accounting capabilities in the new system.
Committee recommendation: Update
2. Fund Balance Reserve Policy Update
Ms. Dunscombe relayed the current policy states a report regarding the fund balance reserves will be
provided to council every August which was done via the Mid-Year Report. The Mid-Year Report
indicated the operating reserve will be $0 at the end of 2024 and the contingency reserve will be kept
intact at $2.2M.
Questions and discussion followed regarding use of ARPA funds (Fund 142) for fire & EMS services,
$186,000 in investment earnings remaining in Fund 142, whether funds will be borrowed from utilities
or other funds or if the contingency fund will used before October property taxes come in, vacation
payouts for retiring employees, assurance staff will come to council with a resolution for any projected
use of the contingency fund, anticipation a budget amendment will be required later this year,
anticipation General Fund expenses will exceed the adopted budget, requirement for a reserve
replenishment plan, developing a replenishment plan through the budget process, and including a
08/20/24 Finance Committee Minutes, Page 2
sentence in the new finance police that the newly adopted policy framework replaces any previous
policy.
Committee recommendation: Update
3. July Monthly Financial Report
Ms. Dunscombe referred to a request to report interest that funds with a negative cash balance were
paying. Since the new monthly financial report format began, that information has been included in the
monthly highlight’s section for the General Fund, the Street Fund and the Capital Fund. She highlighted:
Increased revenue in Street Fund due to payment from Snohomish County as mitigation for
damage to road
School zone camera revenue through end of July is $272,614
Parking ticket revenue YTD is $40,000
Court expenses are beginning to show overtime related to workload due in part to automated
citations
Questions and discussion followed regarding how borrowing when the General Fund has a negative
cash balance is accounted for, segregating red light and school zone camera revenue per HB 2384,
plans to provide a 30 days warning period for red light cameras, citation reduction for people receiving
EBT, minimal spending from the Building Maintenance Fund 016 Feb-July, $408,000 payment that will
be reflected in Fund 016 in August for library repairs, anticipated addition of FTE to courts due to
contested citations, and revenue versus expense for camera citations.
Committee recommendation: Received for Filing
Councilmember Chen declared a recess until the SAO Entrance Interview began at 5:30 pm.
4. State Auditor Office 2023 Entrance Interview
Kristina Baylor described her role as program manager and introduced Irina Frolova, audit lead. She
provided the following disclaimer: this presentation is intended to be viewed in conjunction with the
complete packet of entrance materials provided. A copy of those materials may be requested by
contacting the presenters listed or by email PublicRecords@sao.wa.gov. She reviewed:
• Audits that Matter
Accountability
Financial Federal Grant Compliance Audits
Performance Audits Cybersecurity Audits Fraud/Whistleblower Investigations
Unauditable Governments Citizen Hotlines Other Engagements
o Foregoing the accountability audit this year, will do two years next year
o 2,724 audits conducted July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024
Ms. Frolova reviewed
• Financial Statement Audit (January 1, 203 through December 31, 2023)
o Opinion issuance
Opinion will be issued in accordance with U.S. GAAP
Audit conducted in accordance with Government Auditing Standards
o Internal Control and Compliance over Financial Reporting
Assess adequacy of accounting and financial statement preparation processes at
preventing material misstatements
Identify whether there are instances of material noncompliance
• Federal Grant Compliance Audit (January 1, 203 through December 31, 2023)
o Opinion Issuance
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Opinion will be issued in accordance with Government Auditing Standards and the
Uniform Guidance
o Internal Controls and compliance over Major programs
Assess adequacy of federal grant processes at preventing non-compliance
Identify whether there are instances of material non-compliance
• Major Programs Selected for Audit
ALN Program or Cluster Title Total Amount Expended
21.027 COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery
Funds
$3,622,519
o These costs amount to about 84% of the total federal expenditures for 2023
• Audit process:
• Levels of Reporting
o Findings
o Management Letters
o Exit Items
Ms. Baylor reviewed:
• Important information
o Confidential information
o Audit costs
o Audit Dispute Process
o Loss Reporting
• Reporting Cybersecurity Issues
o Reporting to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO)
Reporting required for single security incidents affecting >500 Washington residents
Find out more about reporting requirements and how to report at www.atg.wa.gov/data-
breach-notifications
o Reporting to the State Auditor’s Office (SAO)
Reporting may be required for cybersecurity events involving financial records or
finances, regardless of number of affected parties.
To learn more, please visit: https://sao.wa.gov/has-your-government-experienced-a-
cybersecurity-issue-here-is-when-and-how-to-report/
• Peer Reviews of Washington State Auditor’s Office
o Who audits the State Auditor
o To ensure our audits satisfy government auditing standards, our Officer receives external
peer reviews every three years by the National State Auditors Association (NSAA)
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o Most recent peer review results are available online at www.sao.wa.gov/about-sao/who-
audits-the-auditor
o Rating received: “Pass,” the highest level of assurance that an external review team can
provide
• Working Together to Improve Government
o Local Government Support Team
BARS & Annual Online Filing
Accounting and Reporting Training
Client portal, including helpdesk
o The Center for Government Innovation
Free tools, resources and services to help you solve problems and improve operations
• SAO’s Center for Government Innovation offers:
o Cyber checkups to assess your government’s vulnerability to common cybersecurity threats
o Customized Lean facilitations and trainings to help you improve how work gets done
o Teambuilding workshops to help you strengthen your team, increase trust, and promote
workplace harmony
o Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT) data to help you monitor your government’s financial health
o Contact the Center Today! 564-999-0818 center@sao.wa.gov www.sao.wa.gov/
• Emerging Issues Affecting Local Governments
o Audit Connection (May 2024) includes articles designed to keep you up to date. Topics
include:
Credit card best practices
Bank statement review
Travel and reimbursable expenses best practices
• New and Upcoming Accounting Standards
o The Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) established generally accepted
accounting principles (GAAP) for U.S. state and local governments
o The list of current and upcoming standards continues to evolve. As such, this GASB update
list can help you stay up to date on accounting and financial reporting changes
• New fraud-prevention resources on protecting unanticipated revenues from fraud
o The guide is organized into four sections
1. What is Unanticipated Revenue?: Includes a brief overview and examples of
unanticipated revenue sources your government may receive
2. Common ways this type of fraud happens: Shares the three common ways these
revenues can be misappropriated (cash-for-check substitutions, cash skimming and
check skimming)
3. Best practices for preventing this type of fraud: Provides tips and ideas on ways to reduce
the risk this type of fraud can occur
4. Best practices for detecting this type of fraud: Lastly this section provides suggestions
on how to detect whether these types of schemes are occurring timely.
Questions and discussion followed regarding whether there was a fee associated with the City’s use of
the SAO’s Center for Government Innovation, how the audit cost was determined, auditing ARPA funds,
whether audit findings impact grants the City receives.
Committee recommendation: None
3. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 6:00 pm.
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