OSA Weekly Update - 10/4/2024
1. Message from Auditor Blaha
2. Meeting: Fire Relief Association Working Group
3. Available: 2025 User Authorization Form
4. Available in SAFES: CTAS 2024 Update 1
5. Avoiding Pitfall: Internal Control -- More than the Annual Audit
1. Message from Auditor Blaha
Save the date! Our annual Local Government Training Conference will be Wednesday, November 20, 2024. This online event focuses on the latest in government accounting, legal issues, and standards. Bonus – there are continuing professional education (CPE) credits available. Watch this space for more details toward the end of the month. If you’d like some training now, you can always visit our Training Opportunities page.
2. Meeting: Fire Relief Association Working Group
The State Auditor’s Fire Relief Association Working Group met on October 1 and finalized its proposals for the 2025 Legislative Session. The proposals include changing the current March 31 reporting deadline to June 30, permitting relief associations with defined contribution plans to pay retirement benefits before the age of 50, and clarifying relief association statutes related to the deposit of member contributions and dues.
Links to watch recordings of Working Group meetings and copies of meeting materials are posted on the Fire Relief Association Working Group page of the OSA website.
3. Available: 2025 User Authorization Form
The 2025 User Authorization Form is now available for download from the OSA website. The form authorizes the OSA to grant reporting access and submission rights through the 2025 calendar year on behalf of a local government entity (including a fire relief association) to someone who is not an officer, employee, or trustee of the entity.
4. Available in SAFES: CTAS 2024 Update 1
The Office of the State Auditor (OSA) is updating the Small City and Town Accounting System (CTAS) to modernize the program, comply with Minnesota laws, and for ease of use. We are pleased to announce that CTAS 2024 Update 1 is now available in SAFES. Remember to back up your data using an external storage device before upgrading to CTAS 2024 Update 1.
If you are updating CTAS from a version prior to CTAS 2024, see CTAS 2024 Feature Enhancements, as you must make updates to the data in the payroll module before you can run a new payroll in CTAS 2024/CTAS 2024 Update 1. Please give yourself enough time to make the changes and updates in CTAS before needing to run a payroll. The necessary changes can be found on the CTAS webpage.
CTAS 2024 Update 1 enhancements include ability to add employee reimbursements to payroll, Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) maximum limits, voiding a check in a prior fiscal year, Leave Time Report updated to include Comp. and ESST time, and a Holiday Pay column added in payroll. In addition to these enhancements, some minor known issues have also been corrected.
We have the following documents on the CTAS webpage to help with the transition to CTAS 2024 Update 1. Links to each page are provided.
We are in the process of finalizing a video with the CTAS 2024 Update 1 enhancements that will be released in the near future. We will continue to make updates to CTAS in 2024. If you have any issues or need assistance, please send an email to ctas@osa.state.mn.us.
5. Avoiding Pitfall: Internal Control -- More than the Annual Audit
To lessen the risk of fraud, public entities need more than an annual audit. They need to design and implement internal controls to prevent and detect fraud.
Every public employee plays a role in the internal control process. Discussions about internal controls should take place at all levels to emphasize the importance that the public entity places on fraud prevention, and to help employees understand their role in the process.
The full Avoiding Pitfall is available on the OSA website.
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