The Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District (SMPDD), a nonprofit corporation of fifteen counties in south Mississippi, was established to provide planning and technical assistance. Information and referral services, transportation, and day care centers for the elderly as well as a senior aids program also were to be provided by the district. Finance, particularly the use of federal, state, and local funds for payment of salaries and expenses, was the focus of this review.
Based on this expenditure review, the committee suggested that SMPDD implement the recommendations made by the CPA firm, which audited each grant at the close of each fiscal year, and the Office of Audits, U.S. Department of Commerce. In addition, the Committee recommended that SMPDD take a physical inventory to be placed on its computer system and make certain all expenditures were fully documented. An agency or commission should be established to oversee and assist the ten planning and development districts in the state. Further, it was recommended that the State Department of Audit conduct annual audits of each planning district.
For a paper copy of this report, contact PEER by telephone at 601-359-1226 or by e-mail at reports@peer.ms.gov.