State Auditor's E-Update - 12/9/2022
1. Message from Auditor Blaha
2. Meeting: Supplemental State Aid Work Group
3. Meeting: Fire Relief Association Working Group
4. Reminder: Relief Association Economic Interest Statements
5. TIF: Regularly Review Terms of TIF Obligations
6. Reminder: Timely Payment of TIF Enforcement Deductions
7. Avoiding Pitfall: Release of Not Public Data to the State Auditor
1. Message from Auditor Blaha
This week the most recent Budget and Economic Forecast was released. You may have heard about the forecast in the news, but the full report is where you can go and see the actual breakdown of public funds.
General forecast information may be found on the Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) website.
2. Meeting: Supplemental State Aid Work Group
The Supplemental State Aid Work Group will meet on Monday, December 12 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. to review the draft mandated report on options for allocating supplemental state aid.
The meeting materials and draft report are available on the Supplemental State Aid Work Group page of the OSA website.
3. Meeting: Fire Relief Association Working Group
The Volunteer Fire Relief Association Working Group met on December 7, to discuss the Working Group’s position on required investment through the Minnesota State Board of Investment and the timing of determining account values for members of defined contribution plans who retire mid-year.
The Volunteer Fire Relief Association Working Group will meet again on Wednesday, December 14 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to continue discussing the defined contribution timing topic and to review draft language regarding audit threshold and investment report certification changes.
Meeting materials and links to watch the meeting live-stream or recording are posted on the Fire Relief Association Working Group page of the OSA website.
4. Reminder: Relief Association Economic Interest Statements
Every year, each volunteer fire relief association board member and chief administrative officer is required to complete a Statement of Economic Interest. The Statement must be filed with the chief administrative officer of the relief association and be made available for public inspection.
The chief administrative officer of a relief association must also submit a Certified Listing of Individuals Who Filed a Statement of Economic Interest form to the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board by January 15, 2023. This form must list all individuals who have filed Statements of Economic Interest with the relief association for the preceding 12 months, along with the address of the office at which the statements are available for public inspection.
For your convenience, the Statement of Economic Interest and Certified Listing of Individuals Who Filed a Statement of Economic Interest forms are available in the Pension Forms section of the OSA website under the “Current Forms” heading.
5. TIF: Regularly Review Terms of TIF Obligations
To avoid making improper payments with tax increment funds, an authority should annually or regularly review the terms of any bonds, notes, loans, or contracts to which tax increment is obligated.
To learn more, please review the TIF topic.
If you have any questions, please contact us at TIF@osa.state.mn.us.
6. Reminder: Timely Payment of TIF Enforcement Deductions
As counties make settlements and distributions of property tax collections in December and January, please do not forget to make timely payments of the TIF Enforcement Deduction to the State.
If you have any questions, please contact us at TIF@osa.state.mn.us.
7. Avoiding Pitfall: Release of Not Public Data to the State Auditor
Political subdivisions sometimes ask if they can release to the State Auditor information that is classified as “not public data” under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. Minnesota law expressly allows political subdivisions to provide the State Auditor with not public information for an examination, financial audit, compliance audit, or investigation performed by the State Auditor.
In addition, local government employees and officials may provide the State Auditor with not public information when evidence of financial fraud or the possible misuse of public funds is discovered, in compliance with the mandatory reporting obligations found in Minn. Stat. § 609.456, subd. 1.
The Avoiding Pitfall is available on the OSA website.