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Minnesota Legal Compliance Report <br />Schedule of Findings and Responses <br />For the Year Ended December 31, 2022 <br /> <br /> <br />2022-001 Prompt Payment of Bills <br /> <br />Criteria: Minnesota Statutes require bills to be paid within 35 days of the date of receipt. MS <br />471.425 reads in part as follows: <br /> <br />471.425 PROMPT PAYMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILLS <br /> <br />Subd. 2. Payment required <br />A municipality must pay each vendor obligation according to the terms of the contract <br />or, if no contract terms apply, within the standard payment period unless the municipality <br />in good faith disputes the obligation. Standard payment period is defined as follows: <br />(a) For municipalities who have governing boards which have regularly scheduled <br />meetings at least once a month, the standard payment period is defined as within 35 days <br />of the date of receipt. <br /> <br />Condition: During our audit testing, we noted one instance where an invoice was not paid within <br />the 35-day timeframe. An invoice from CenturyLink dated December 10, 2021 was not paid <br />until January 24, 2022. <br /> <br />Cause: The routing of invoices to the accounts payable clerk from individual departments is not <br />always done in a timely manner. <br /> <br />Effect: There is an increased likelihood that the City may incur interest charges or late fees, <br />although no such charges were incurred related to this item. <br /> <br />Recommendation: We recommend the City implement steps to ensure all invoices are paid <br />timely. <br /> <br />Views of Responsible Officials and Corrective Action Plan: We acknowledge this finding. Staff <br />will continue monitoring and reviewing open accounts payable to ensure prompt payment. <br />