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HomeMy Public PortalAboutSaltmarshSaltmarsM Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS AND CONSULTANTS January 7, 2016 Elizabeth Roy, City Clerk City of Crestview 198 North Wilson Street Crestview, Florida 32536 We are pleased to confirm our understanding of the services we are to provide the City of Crestview, Florida. We will examine the City of Crestview, Florida's compliance with Section 218.415, Florida Statutes, for the year ended September 30, 2015. Our examination will be conducted in accordance with attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Accordingly, it will include tests of your records and other procedures we consider necessary to enable us to express an opinion as to whether you have complied with Section 218.415, Florida Statutes. If, for any reason, we are unable to complete the examination, we will not issue a report as a result of this engagement. Our engagement will not include a detailed inspection of every transaction and cannot be relied on to disclose all material errors, fraud, or other violations of laws or regulations, that may exist. However, we will inform you of any material errors or fraud that comes to our attention. We will also inform you of any other violations of laws or regulations that come to our attention, unless clearly inconsequential. You are responsible for complying with Section 218.415, Florida Statutes; and for selecting the criteria and determining that such criteria are appropriate for your purposes. You are responsible for assuming all management responsibilities and for overseeing the examination we provide by designating an individual, Sara Bowers, City Manager, who possesses suitable skill, knowledge, and/or experience. You are responsible for evaluating the adequacy and results of the services perfoinied and accepting responsibility for the results of such services. I am the engagement shareholder and am responsible for supervising the engagement and signing the report or authorizing another individual to sign it. Our fees for this service are included in the fee stated in the September 30, 2015 audit engagement letter dated January 7, 2016. Since 19-14 www.saltmarshcpa com • (800) 477-7458 Pensacola • Fort Walton Beach • Tampa • Orlando City of Crestview, Florida Page 2 of 2 Parties to this engagement agree that any dispute that may arise regarding the meaning, performance, or enforcement of this engagement will, prior to resorting to litigation, be submitted to mediation upon the written request of any party to the engagement. All mediations initiated as a result of this engagement shall be administered by a Florida Bar Certified trial mediator selected by the parties. The results of this mediation shall be binding only upon agreement of each party to be bound. Costs of any mediation proceeding shall be shared equally by both parties. We appreciate the opportunity to be of service to the City of Crestview, Florida and believe this letter accurately summarizes the significant terms of our engagement. If you have any questions, please let us know. If you agree with the terms of our engagement as described in this letter, please sign the enclosed copy and return it to us. Very truly yours, For the Finn RESPONSE: This letter correctly sets forth the understanding of the City of Crestview, Florida. Title Saltmarsi Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS AND CONSULTANTS January 7, 2016 Elizabeth Roy, City Clerk City of Crestview 198 North Wilson Street Crestview, Florida 32536 We are pleased to confirm our understanding of the services we are to provide the City of Crestview, Florida (the City) for the year ended September 30, 2015. We will audit the financial statements of the governmental activities, the business -type activities, each major fund, and the aggregate remaining funds including the related notes to the financial statements, which collectively comprise the basic financial statements of the City as of and for the year ended September 30, 2015. Accounting standards generally accepted in the United States of America provide for certain required supplementary information ("RSI"), such as management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A"), to supplement the City's basic financial statements. Such information, although not a part of the basic financial statements, is required by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board who considers it to be an essential part of financial reporting for placing the basic financial statements in an appropriate operational, economic, or historical context. As part of our engagement, we will apply certain limited procedures to the City's RSI in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. These limited procedures will consist of inquiries of management regarding the methods of preparing the information and comparing the information for consistency with management's responses to our inquiries, the basic financial statements, and other knowledge we obtained during our audit of the basic financial statements. We will not express an opinion or provide any assurance on the information because the limited procedures do not provide us with sufficient evidence to express an opinion or provide any assurance. The following RSI is required by generally accepted accounting principles and will be subjected to certain limited procedures, but will not be audited: • Management's Discussion and Analysis • Other Postemployment Benefits (OPEB) • Schedule of Revenues, Expenditures, and Changes in Fund Balance Budget to Actual — General Fund • Schedules of Changes in Net Pension Liabilities and Related Ratios • Schedules of Contributions • Schedules of Investment Returns We have also been engaged to report on supplementary information other than RSI that accompanies the City's financial statements. We will subject the following supplementary information to the auditing procedures applied in our audit of the financial statements and certain additional procedures, including comparing and reconciling such information directly to the underlying accounting and other records used to prepare the financial statements or to the financial statements themselves, and other additional procedures in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America, and we will provide an opinion on it in relation to the financial statements as a whole in a report combined with our auditor's report on the financial statements. • Schedules of Expenditures of Federal Awards and State Financial Assistance • Combining and Individual Nonmajor Fund Financial Statements Since 1944 www saltmarshcpa.com • (800) 477-7458 Pensacola • Fort Walton Beach • Tampa • Orlando City of Crestview, Florida Page 2 of 7 Audit Objectives The objective of our audit is the expression of an opinion about whether your financial statements are fairly presented, in all material respects, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and to report on the fairness of the supplementary information referred to in the third paragraph when considered in relation to the financial statements as a whole. The objective also includes reporting on: Internal control related to the financial statements and compliance with the provisions of laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements, noncompliance with which could have a material effect on the financial statements in accordance with Government Auditing Standards, Internal control related to major programs and an opinion (or disclaimer of opinion) on compliance with laws, regulations, and the provisions of contracts or grant agreements that could have a direct and material effect on each major program in accordance with the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 and OMB Circular A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non -Profit Organizations, and Chapter 10.550, Rules of the Auditor General. The Government Auditing Standards report on internal control over financial reporting and on compliance and other matters will include a paragraph that states that (1) the purpose of the report is solely to describe the scope of testing of internal control and compliance and the results of that testing, and not to provide an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity's internal control or on compliance, and (2) the report is an integral part of an audit performed in accordance with Government Auditing Standards in considering the entity's internal control and compliance. The OMB Circular A-133 report on internal control over compliance will include a paragraph that states that the purpose of the report on internal control over compliance is solely to describe the scope of testing of internal control over compliance and the results of that testing based on the requirements of OMB Circular A-133. Both reports will state that the report is not suitable for any other purpose. Our audit will be conducted in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America; the standards for financial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States; the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996; the provisions of OMB Circular A-133; and Sections 218.39 and 215.97, Florida Statutes; Rules of the Auditor General of the State of Florida for Local Governmental Entity Audits as set forth in Florida Administrative Code Chapter10.550, and will include tests of accounting records, a determination of major program(s) in accordance with OMB Circular A-133 and Chapter 10.550 of the Rules of the Auditor General, and other procedures we consider necessary to enable us to express such an opinion. We will issue written reports upon completion of our Single Audit. Our reports will be addressed to the Honorable Mayor and Member of the City Council of the City of Crestview. We cannot provide assurance that an unmodified opinion will be expressed. Circumstances may arise in which it is necessary for us to modify our opinion or add an emphasis -of -matter or other -matter paragraph. If our opinion on the financial statements or the Single Audit compliance opinions are other than unmodified, we will discuss the reasons with management in advance. If, for any reason, we are unable to complete the audit or are unable to form or have not formed an opinion, we may decline to express an opinion or issue a report, or we may withdraw from this engagement. Audit Procedures -General An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements; therefore, our audit will involve judgment about the number of transactions to be examined and the areas to be tested. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We will plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable rather than absolute assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether from (1) errors, (2) fraudulent financial reporting, (3) misappropriation of assets, or (4) violations of laws or governmental regulations that are attributable to the entity or to acts by management or employees acting on behalf of the entity. Because the determination of abuse is subjective, Government Auditing Standards do not expect auditors to provide reasonable assurance of detecting abuse. Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, combined with the inherent limitations of internal control, and because we will not perform a detailed City of Crestview, Florida Page 3 of 7 examination of all transactions, there is a risk that material misstatements may exist and not be detected by us, even though the audit is properly planned and performed in accordance with U.S. generally accepted auditing standards and Government Auditing Standards. In addition, an audit is not designed to detect immaterial misstatements or violations of laws or governmental regulations that do not have a direct and material effect on the financial statements. However, we will inform the appropriate level of management of any material errors, any fraudulent financial reporting, or misappropriation of assets that come to our attention. We will also inform the appropriate level of management of any violations of laws or governmental regulations that come to our attention, unless clearly inconsequential, and of any material abuse that comes to our attention. Our responsibility as auditors is limited to the period covered by our audit and does not extend to later periods for which we are not engaged as auditors. Our procedures will include tests of documentary evidence supporting the transactions recorded in the accounts, and may include direct confirmation of receivables and certain other assets and liabilities by correspondence with selected individuals, funding sources, creditors, and financial institutions. We will request written representations from your attorneys as part of the engagement, and they may bill you for responding to this inquiry. At the conclusion of our audit, we will also require certain written representations from you about your responsibilities for the financial statements; compliance with laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements; and other responsibilities required by generally accepted auditing standards. Audit Procedures -Internal Control Our audit will include obtaining an understanding of the government and its environment, including internal control, sufficient to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements and to design the nature, timing, and extent of further audit procedures. Tests of controls may be pertained to test the effectiveness of certain controls that we consider relevant to preventing and detecting errors and fraud that are material to the financial statements and to preventing and detecting misstatements resulting from illegal acts and other noncompliance matters that have a direct and material effect on the financial statements. Our tests, if performed, will be less in scope than would be necessary to render an opinion on internal control and, accordingly, no opinion will be expressed in our report on internal control issued pursuant to Government Auditing Standards. As required by OMB Circular A-133 and Chapter 10.550 of the Rules of the Auditor General, we will perform tests of controls over compliance to evaluate the effectiveness of the design and operation of controls that we consider relevant to preventing or detecting material noncompliance with compliance requirements applicable to each major federal and State award program. However, our tests will be less in scope than would be necessary to render an opinion on those controls and, accordingly, no opinion will be expressed in our report on internal control issued to pursuant to OMB Circular A-133 or Chapter 10.550 of the Rules of the Auditor General. An audit is not designed to provide assurance on internal control or to identify significant deficiencies or material weaknesses. However, during the audit, we will communicate to management and those charged with governance internal control related matters that are required to be communicated under AICPA professional standards and Government Auditing Standards. Audit Procedures -Compliance As part of obtaining reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, we will perform tests of the City's compliance with the provisions of applicable laws, regulations, contracts, agreements, and grants. However, the objective of our audit will not be to provide an opinion on overall compliance and we will not express such an opinion in our report on compliance issued pursuant to Government Auditing Standards. OMB Circular A-133 and Chapter 10.550, Rules of the Auditor General, requires that we also plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the auditee has complied with applicable laws and regulation and the provisions of contracts and grant agreements applicable to major programs. Our procedures will consist of tests of transactions and other applicable procedures described in the OMB Circular A-133 Compliance Supplement and the Executive Office of the Governor's State Projects Compliance Supplement and related addenda for the types of compliance requirements that could have a direct and material effect on each of the City's major programs and projects. The purpose of these procedures will be to express an opinion on the City's compliance with requirements applicable to City of Crestview, Florida Page 4 of 7 each of its major programs and projects in our report on compliance issued pursuant to OMB Circular A-133 and Chapter 10.550, Rules of the Auditor General. Other Services We will also assist in preparing the financial statements, schedule of expenditures of federal awards and state projects (if applicable), and related notes of the City in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and OMB Circular A-133 and Chapter 10.550 Rules of the Auditor General based on information provided by you. These nonaudit services do not constitute an audit under Government Auditing Standards and such services will not be conducted in accordance with Government Auditing Standards. Management Responsibilities Management is responsible for (1) establishing and maintaining effective internal controls, including internal controls over compliance, and for evaluating and monitoring ongoing activities to help ensure that appropriate goals and objectives are met; (2) following laws and regulations; (3) ensuring that there is reasonable assurance that government programs are administered in compliance with compliance requirements; and (4) ensuring that management is reliable and financial information is reliable and properly reported. Management is also responsible for implementing systems designed to achieve compliance with applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements. You are also responsible for the selection and application of accounting principles; and for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements, schedule of expenditures of federal awards and state projects, and all accompanying information in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; and for compliance with applicable laws and regulations and the provisions of contracts and grant agreements. Management is also responsible for making all financial records and related information available to us and for the accuracy and completeness of that information. You are also responsible for providing us with (1) access to all information of which you are aware that is relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements, (2) additional information that we may request for the purpose of the audit, and (3) unrestricted access to persons within the government from whom we determine it necessary to obtain audit evidence. Your responsibilities also include identifying significant vendor relationships in which the vendor has responsibility for program compliance and for the accuracy and completeness of that information. Your responsibilities include adjusting the financial statements to correct material misstatements and confirming to us in the management representation letter that the effects of any uncorrected misstatements aggregated by us during the current engagement and pertaining to the latest period presented are immaterial, both individually and in the aggregate, to the financial statements taken as a whole. You are responsible for the design and implementation of programs and controls to prevent and detect fraud, and for informing us about all known or suspected fraud affecting the Organization involving (1) management, (2) employees who have significant roles in internal control, and (3) others where the fraud could have a material effect on the financial statements. Your responsibilities include informing us of your knowledge of any allegations of fraud or suspected fraud affecting the Organization received in communications from employees, former employees, grantors, regulators, or others. In addition, you are responsible for identifying and ensuring that the Organization complies with applicable laws, regulations, contracts, agreements, and grants. Management is also responsible for taking timely and appropriate steps to remedy fraud and noncompliance with provisions of laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements, or abuse that we report. Additionally, as required by OMB Circular A-133, it is management's responsibility to follow up and take corrective action on reported audit findings and to prepare a summary schedule of prior audit findings and a corrective action plan. The summary schedule of prior audit findings should be available for our review on the first day of field work. You are responsible for identifying all federal and State awards received and understanding and complying with the compliance requirements and for the preparation of the schedule of expenditures of federal awards and state projects (including notes and noncash assistance received) in conformity with OMB Circular A-133 and Chapter 10.550 of the Rules of the Auditor General. You agree to include our report on the schedule of expenditures of federal awards and state City of Crestview, Florida Page 5 of 7 projects in any document that contains and indicates that we reported on the schedule of expenditures of federal awards and state projects. You also agree to include the audited financial statements with any presentation of the schedule of expenditures of federal awards and state projects that includes our report thereon. Your responsibilities include acknowledging to us in the representation letter that (1) you are responsible for presentation of the schedule of expenditures of federal awards and state projects in accordance with OMB Circular A-133 and Chapter 10.550 of the Rules of the Auditor General; (2) you believe the schedule of expenditures of federal awards and state projects, including its form and content, is fairly presented in accordance with OMB Circular A-133 and Chapter 10.550 of the Rules of the Auditor General; (3) the methods of measurement or presentation have not changed from those used in the prior period (or, if they have changed, the reasons for such changes); and (4) you have disclosed to us any significant assumptions or interpretations underlying the measurement or presentation of the schedule of expenditures of federal awards and state projects. You are responsible for the preparation of the other supplementary information in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. You agree to include our report on the supplementary information in any document that contains and indicates that we have reported on the supplementary information. You also agree to include the audited financial statements with any presentation of the supplementary information that includes our report thereon. Your responsibilities include acknowledging to us in the written representation letter that (1) you are responsible for presentation of the supplementary information in accordance with GAAP; (2) you believe the supplementary information, including its form and content, is fairly presented in accordance with GAAP; (3) the methods of measurement or presentation have not changed from those used in the prior period (or, if they have changed, the reasons for such changes); and (4) you have disclosed to us any significant assumptions or interpretations underlying the measurement or presentation of the supplementary information. Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining a process for tracking the status of audit findings and recommendations. Management is also responsible for identifying for us previous financial audits, attestation engagements, performance audits or other studies related to the objectives discussed in the Audit Objectives section of this letter. This responsibility includes relaying to us corrective actions taken to address significant findings and recommendations resulting from those audits, attestation engagements, performance audits, or other studies. You are also responsible for providing management's views on our current findings, conclusions, and recommendations, as well as your planned corrective actions, for the report, and for the timing and format for providing that information. You agree to assume all management responsibilities relating to the financial statements, schedule of expenditures of federal awards and state projects, related notes, and any other nonaudit services we provide. You will be required to acknowledge in the management representation letter our assistance with preparation of the financial statements, schedule of expenditures of federal awards and state projects, and related notes prior to their issuance and have accepted responsibility for them. Further, you agree to oversee the nonaudit services by designating an individual, preferably from senior management, with suitable skill, knowledge, or experience; evaluate the adequacy and results of those services; and accept responsibility for them. Engagement Administration, Fees, and Other We understand that your employees will prepare all cash or other confirmations we request and will locate any documents selected by us for testing. We will provide copies of our reports to the City; however, management is responsible for distribution of the reports and the financial statements. Unless restricted by law or regulation, or containing privileged and confidential information, copies of our reports are to be made available for public inspection. At the conclusion of the engagement, we will complete the appropriate sections of the Data Collection Form that summarizes our audit findings. It is management's responsibility to submit the reporting package (including financial statements, schedule of expenditures of federal awards and state projects, summary schedule of prior audit findings, auditor's reports, and corrective action plan) along with the Data Collection Form to the federal audit clearinghouse. We will coordinate with you the electronic submission and certification. If applicable, we will provide copies of our report for you to include with the reporting package you will submit to pass -through entities. The Data Collection Form and the 'City of Crestview, Florida Page 6 of 7 reporting package must be submitted within the earlier of 30 days after receipt of the auditor's reports or nine months after the end of the audit period, unless a longer period is agreed to in advance by the cognizant or oversight agency for audit. The audit documentation for this engagement is the property of Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund and constitutes confidential information. However, subject to applicable laws and regulations, audit documentation and appropriate individuals will be made available upon request and in a timely manner to a Cognizant or Grantor Agency or its designee, a federal agency providing direct or indirect funding, or the U.S. Government Accountability Office for purposes of a quality review of the audit, to resolve audit findings, or to carry out oversight responsibilities. We will notify you of any such request. If requested, access to such audit documentation will be provided under the supervision of Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund personnel. Furthermore, upon request, we may provide copies of selected audit documentation to the aforementioned parties. These parties may intend, or decide, to distribute the copies or information contained therein to others, including other governmental agencies. Notwithstanding these provisions, the parties agree that the Florida Statutes Chapter 119 shall be deemed controlling and govern whether these documents constitute public records and are subject to disclosure, or are otherwise exempted from disclosure. The audit documentation for this engagement will be retained for a minimum of five years after the report release date or for any additional period requested by a Cognizant Agency, Oversight Agency for Audit, or Pass -through Entity, or for any periods of time required by Florida Statutes Chapter 119 or other applicable law, whichever is longer. If we are aware that a federal awarding agency or auditee is contesting an audit finding, we will contact the party(ies) contesting the audit finding for guidance prior to destroying the audit documentation. Charles E. "Chuck- Landers is the engagement shareholder and is responsible for supervising the engagement and signing the reports or authorizing another individual to sign them. Our fee for these services will be $38,600 plus $3,000 for each program subject to the single audit requirements for the year ended September 30, 2015. Our invoices for these fees will be rendered as work progresses and are payable upon presentation. The above fee is based on anticipated cooperation from your personnel and the assumption that unexpected circumstances will not be encountered during the audit. If significant additional time is necessary, we will discuss it with you and arrive at a new fee estimate before we incur any additional costs. Parties to this engagement agree that any dispute that may arise regarding the meaning, performance, or enforcement of this engagement will, prior to resorting to litigation, be submitted to mediation upon the written request of any party to the engagement. All mediations initiated as a result of this engagement shall be administered by a Florida Bar Certified trial mediator selected by the parties. The results of this mediation shall be binding only upon agreement of each party to be bound. Costs of any mediation proceeding shall be shared equally by both parties. We appreciate the opportunity to be of service to the City and believe this letter accurately summarizes the significant terms of our engagement. If you have any questions, please let us know. If you agree with the terms of our engagement as described in this letter, please sign the enclosed copy and return it to us. Very truly yours, For he Firm City of Crestview, Florida Page 7 of 7 RESPONSE: This letter correctly sets forth the understanding of the City of Crestview, Florida. By: Title: Date: eizKixai