OSA Weekly Update - 10/27/2023
1. Message from Auditor Blaha
2. Coming Soon: Registration for the OSA Local Government Training Conference
3. Relief Associations: Fire State Aid Deadline
4. Avoiding Pitfall: Approval of Claims
5. Job Openings
1. Message from Auditor Blaha
Many of you cross paths with local residents who need housing support. In my work as a Minnesota Housing board member, I get the chance to see the work local entities do with Minnesota Housing to customize housing solutions to their communities. As you support your neighbors, keep the Minnesota Housing's Find Housing Help page in your back pocket. There, you’ll find several resources for individuals looking for rent, mortgage, shelter, and other housing resources. Thank you for all you do to support stable homes for Minnesotans.
2. Coming Soon: Registration for the OSA Local Government Training Conference
Registration for the Office of the State Auditor's Local Government Training Conference will be available next week. Once again, the OSA is partnering with the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers, and Treasurers (NASACT) to provide this training. The conference will be presented online and is scheduled for Wednesday, November 29, 2023. Topics will include SBITAs, the impact of new technologies, using GASB implementation guides, governmental accounting update, and our annual legal compliance update.
3. Relief Associations: Fire State Aid Deadline
The next deadline for fire relief associations to be certified as eligible for receipt of their 2023 fire and supplemental state aid is November 1. If your relief association has not yet submitted its 2022 reporting-year forms to the OSA or has been notified by the OSA’s Pension Division staff that additional information is needed, please provide the forms or information as soon as possible.
To be certified as eligible for receipt of state aid in the next round of payments, a relief association must have submitted all required 2022 reporting information to the OSA with enough time for the OSA to complete its review and for all issues identified by the OSA to have been satisfactorily resolved by the relief association before November 1.
A list of the 2023 fire and supplemental state aid amounts is posted on the OSA website.
4. Avoiding Pitfall: Approval of Claims
In many public entities, the governing body must approve the payment of all claims.
Before the governing body’s meeting where the claims will be considered, members should fully review each claim for appropriateness and accuracy. If necessary, the supporting documentation for the claim should be examined.
The minutes of the meeting where the claims are considered should identify the claims that are approved. This can be accomplished by attaching a list of claims to the meeting minutes. The minutes should also reference the total amount of the claims list and identify how each member voted.
The full Avoiding Pitfall is available on the OSA website.
5. Job Openings
Local Government Auditors
The Office of the State Auditor (OSA) is hiring Local Government Auditors in Saint Paul, Rochester, Marshall, Moorhead, Duluth, and Mankato. The candidate(s) hired and new to this job classification may be eligible to receive a $5,000 hiring bonus! The deadline for applications is October 31, 2023. All job postings are available on the OSA website.
Student Workers / Interns
The OSA is hiring student workers / interns in our Saint Paul and Duluth offices. In addition to the development of technical skills, this experience provides the opportunity to enhance communication skills through professional client interaction and refine job management skills in a fast-paced environment. This work experience is CPA qualifying. The deadline for applications is October 31, 2023. The Saint Paul and Duluth postings are on the OSA website.