HARRISBURG – Auditor General Timothy L. DeFoor today released a performance audit of the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority (ECGRA) finding the authority complied with the law when issuing grants and did not reimburse employees or officers for tuition and educational expenses during the audit period. The audit also uncovered ECGRA did not receive $538,248 of gaming funds it was entitled to from Erie County because of an informal agreement between the entities.
“We are hopeful that this audit provides Erie County officials with the information they need to move forward confidently in their efforts to improve the lives of residents through gaming revenue,” Auditor General DeFoor said. “This performance audit can lay the groundwork for a positive working relationship between the county and ECGRA to serve the people of Erie.”
The audit objectives were to determine if ECGRA complied with all relevant laws, a 2010 settlement agreement, internal policies and procedures with respect to the administration and awarding of loans and grants; if ECGRA funds were properly disclosed on its publicly accessible website and not used for tuition or educational expenses for employees or officers; and if ECGRA received gaming revenue from the county in accordance with the relevant laws. The audit period for the first two objectives was April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2024, and April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2024, for the third objective.
Auditors made three recommendations for ECGRA and three recommendations for Erie County to improve processes and enhance cooperation between the entities in the audit. They encouraged the parties to work collaboratively to conduct fiscal year end reconciliations to make sure funds are distributed according to the law and any differences are settled. They also made a joint recommendation encouraging ECGRA and Erie County to formalize any agreement on how funds are distributed, reconciled and settled to avoid any issues in the future.
The full version of the audit report is available at www.paauditor.gov.
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