REPORT DIGEST


ILLINOIS STATE TOLL HIGHWAY AUTHORITY


COMPLIANCE AUDIT
For the Eighteen Months Ended:
December 31, 1996


Summary of Findings:

Total this audit 8
Total last audit 18
Repeated from last audit 7




Release Date:
December 4, 1997






State of Illinois
Office of the Auditor General

WILLIAM G. HOLLAND
AUDITOR GENERAL

Iles Park Plaza
740 E. Ash Street
Springfield, IL 62703
(217) 782-6046

SYNOPSIS

  • Our testing of the Authority's automated Human Resources/Payroll software system indicated that extensive manual calculations and adjustments were required, and the system was highly dependent upon human intervention and control. This finding has been repeated since 1991.
  • We noted several weaknesses in the Authority's controls designed to ensure that employees were compensated only for time worked and that employees' use of leave time was properly recorded.

 



















Automated payroll system not fully utilized






























































Better supervision of employee attendance needed

INTRODUCTION

This report represents the results of our state compliance testing for the year ending December 31, 1996. A financial audit of the year ending December 31, 1996 was performed concurrently, and that report will be issued under a separate cover.

FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND
RECOMMENDATIONS

LIMITED PAYROLL SYSTEM

Our testing of the Authority's automated Human Resources/Payroll software system indicated that extensive manual calculations and adjustments were required, and the system was highly dependent upon human intervention and control. The Authority purchased a new payroll system in FY94 for $336,000. The Authority brought this system on-line in December 1994. It was noted during our testing that the new system is still dependent on manual procedures to process data. For the biweekly payroll period ended July 15, 1996, we noted that incentive pay and other items required 97 manual calculations.

Manual errors in the gross pay computations of hourly employees have occurred because calculators and/or mental computations are used to determine the number of hours for which employees should be paid. Because the State Comptroller prepares the checks, payroll check stubs for hourly employees do not contain sufficient information for them to recompute gross pay. Thus, the Authority cannot rely on hourly employees to discover errors in their gross pay.

Recurring payroll computations for shift incentive pay, leave without pay, uniform cleaning, etc., were calculated and processed manually. The system used by the Authority was not designed to process multiple pay rate computations needed for multiple types of incentive pay or to process specific information required to properly track garnishments or individual daily attendance records.

The Toll Highway Authority employs approximately 2,000 full or part-time employees with an annual payroll of approximately $74,000,000. (Finding 2, page 10)

We recommended the Toll Highway Authority implement cost-effective enhancements to its existing payroll system to eliminate the need for manual payroll calculations. We also recommended future systems be properly designed to meet the Authority's needs or design objectives. This finding has been repeated since 1991.

The Authority responded that it is in agreement that fully using the automated features of the new payroll system is to be preferred over the use of manual calculations.

The Authority also noted in its response that the recommendation that the payroll system be automated as much as possible is a recommendation the Authority has been addressing in phases. The Authority states it has acquired the software and is completing the implementation of the Wide Area Network and will be proceeding with an automated time and attendance system.

INADEQUATE SUPERVISION OF SALARIED EMPLOYEE ATTENDANCE

We noted several weaknesses in the Authority's controls designed to ensure that employees were compensated only for time worked and that employees' use of leave time was properly recorded.

To increase accountability for employee attendance, the Authority has designed a system of controls. All employees are required to submit leave request forms for vacation, personal, and other leaves. The employee's supervisor is required to sign the leave request form. For any planned leave time, salaried employees are to submit the leave request form by the first day of the leave to the Payroll Department. Salaried employees must also submit a daily attendance report at the end of the pay period; this report is due within three business days after the end of the reporting period. The daily attendance report is also to be signed by the employee's supervisor. In addition, sign out sheets are maintained for each department within the Central Administration Building.

On December 18, 1996, we made unannounced visits to all salaried employees located in the Central Administration Building. We observed employees at work, and asked to examine identification badges which Authority employees are required to carry. We also tested Authority records of employee attendance and employee use of leave time. We found numerous attendance problems as described below.

  • Attendance reports did not match observed attendance. We were unable to locate four employees after repeated attempts were made on December 18, but the attendance report submitted to payroll showed the employees as present. Each employee's supervisor had signed the attendance report.
  • Leave request forms were not timely submitted. Three employees who were on leave had not submitted the request form to payroll.
  • Attendance was not properly monitored. Four of the sixteen employees working at the first site we visited at approximately 8:40 a.m. arrived subsequent to our testing. Based on discussion with supervisors and co-workers, all persons in this department were to be at work by 8:00 a.m. with a few exceptions for persons to report by 8:30 a.m. No evidence of authorization or emergency/personal reason was given for late arrival. (Finding 7, page 18)
We recommended the Authority enforce its existing control procedures over attendance and leave liability. We specifically recommended:
  • Closer review and scrutiny of salaried employee attendance sheets and leave request forms documented by a handwritten signature of a supervisor personally familiar with and accountable for those employees.
  • Better use of sign-out sheets in all departments for employees who have job duties that require them to leave the assigned work location.
  • Effective enforcement of requirements to report to work at the scheduled work time.
The Authority responded that it agreed. The Authority also described specific improvements in its controls over employee attendance. According to the Authority handwritten signatures are now required on all attendance and leave request forms, and all departments currently use sign-out sheets. The extent and exact form of the sheets may vary by department due to the nature of the operations of a particular department.

The Authority states it will continue to enforce Authority policy as it relates to scheduled work time.

OTHER FINDINGS

The remaining findings are of lesser significance and are being given attention by the Authority. We will review the Authority's progress toward implementation of our recommendations in our next audit.

Responses to our findings were provided by Nicholas W. Jannite, Chief of Finance.




____________________________________
WILLIAM G. HOLLAND, Auditor General

WGH:JTD:pp

SPECIAL ASSISTANT AUDITORS

Clifton Gunderson LLC were our special assistant auditors for this engagement.

DIGEST FOOTNOTES

#1: LIMITED PAYROLL SYSTEM - Previous Agency Responses.

1995: "The Authority agrees with the recommendation to automate the payroll recordkeeping and computation tasks. Evidence of the Authority's desire to accomplish this effort is reflected in the implementation of a new payroll/personnel software, as well as the development of a work plan for the time and attendance system, in 1995. As noted in the prior year finding, the Authority's payroll system was antiquated. The update of the payroll application is the initial step toward automating the existing manual tasks. In January 1996, the Authority will assemble a project team to pursue the automation of the time and attendance system. The team will identify the key objectives and scope the project by March 1996. After defining the scope, a review of existing applications and the technical environment will be performed in order to assess available systems applications and hardware in order to develop a proposed architecture. This will be completed by the late second quarter/early third quarter of 1996. The team will then identify operational impacts of the proposed solution and develop a needs analysis report to be presented to the MIS Steering Committee by October 1996. The Authority anticipates implementation to begin in 1997.

1994: "As of January 1, 1995, the Authority had implemented the parallel testing of a new payroll system, which has reduced the number of manual calculations required for the determination of an employee's pay. Although the Authority will be reviewing all manual tasks related to the payroll process, a blanket conversion of all manual tasks to an automated system may not be reasonable, practical, or cost effective. A work plan and schedule is being developed for the evaluation of automating the time cards and time keeping tasks."

1992: "The Authority agrees with the recommendation to perform an analysis of the Human Resources/Payroll system. The Authority's current computerized system has approached the end of its useful life-cycle. The Authority has initiated a review and analysis of the Payroll/Personnel system and is evaluating the functionality of three (3) payroll/personnel computer systems. In addition the Authority has scheduled the review of the capabilities of three (3) time and attendance system providers. This review will assist the Authority in addressing the use of technology for these functions and should provide for the evaluation of the cost/benefit of enhancing the automation of the timekeeping process."

1991: "The Authority agrees with the recommendation to perform an analysis of the Human Resources/Payroll system. The Authority's current computerized system has approached the end of its useful life-cycle. The Authority intends to initiate a review and analysis of the Payroll/Personnel system later this year. This review will assist the Authority in addressing the use of technology for these functions."