Puyallup fails to report $2.1M in federal COVID grants, admits mistake

According to an audit, the City of Puyallup failed to report $2.1 million in federal COVID-19 relief grants it received in 2023. The city also did not ensure that the ending cash balance reported on its bank statements was accurate.

The audit concluded the city had “significant deficiencies” in its financial reporting. The city also recently installed new finance software, which has reportedly confused the finance department about the process for properly reporting the funds.

Wendy Choy, assistant director with the auditor’s office, said that the office conducts an annual audit for the City of Puyallup, and this report reviewed the city’s financial records from Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2023, according to The News Tribune.

Choy told the outlet that it “was still tracking the $2.1 million they received in COVID-19 funds, but neglected to include it in the report.”

Where things went wrong

Steve Kirkelie, the City of Puyallup’s city manager, told The News Tribune that it’s looking at the report as a learning opportunity.

“We completely recognize that the auditor serves a very important function in this state and to our city,” Kirkelie said. “We take it very seriously, and we’re working with the auditor.”

The city’s financial analyst resigned in April 2024, and the finance manager retired in September 2024, according to The News Tribune. By the time the city began preparing its financial statements for the audit, the city had two new staff members leading the process.

Kirkelie said the city noticed the mistake, but by the time they discovered it, it was too late to submit the correct information into the audit.

Eric Johnson, the city’s spokesperson, said that the city hired one more person to its finance department after the audit, bringing the department’s total staff members to three, according to The News Tribune.

Next steps for Puyallup’s audit process

In the report, the auditor recommended that the city revamp its procedures to ensure its financial reporting is accurate moving forward.

Kirkelie and Johnson told The News Tribune, the city has planned to fix the internal process that would allow multiple people to look at each report before the city submits it to the auditor’s office, increase training for new staff members, and provide a refresher class for current members on federal contracting and federal expenditures.

The next annual review of the city is scheduled for October.

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