Our Mission:

Maintain an internal control environment designed to safeguard the Coastal Regional Commission’s assets, accurately report the financial results, and ensure compliance with numerous state and federal accounting procedures and reporting requirements inherent in government contracts.

The budgetary process and the anti-fraud program form the nucleus of the Coastal Regional Commission’s internal controls. The organization’s by-laws require the preparation of an annual work program and budget prior to the July 1 beginning of each fiscal year, and a mid-year amended work program and budget by March. These work programs and budgets are reviewed in depth and approved first by the Budget & Finance Committee and then the full Board of Directors. All expenditures are thereby subjected to budgetary control.

One component of the anti-fraud program is the annual completion of a Code of Conduct Compliance Questionnaire by each of the employees of the Coastal Regional Commission and each of the employees of each sub-recipient/subcontractor involved with the funds/programs we manage for governmental agencies. This practice provides an additional bottoms-up layer of oversight to ensure that the funds with which we are entrusted are managed prudently for their intended purpose. An annual risk assessment of the agency is also completed by the Finance Director and reviewed with the Budget & Finance Committee and full Board of Directors to identify any areas of potential improvement in the control environment.

The Coastal Regional Commission is subject to an annual audit by an independent accounting firm, both due to by-law provision and to government regulation. The State and Federal agencies that fund our programs may also periodically perform selective audit procedures. These independent reviews, which are facilitated by the Finance Department, further enhance our internal control environment.

All programs managed by the Coastal Regional Commission are initiated through a formal proposal process, culminating in the execution of contracts which specify the performance requirements, deliverables and reporting requirements, timetable, compensation and other legal aspects. The Finance Department plays an integral role in reviewing contracts, bids and proposals, monitoring the status of grants and programs in relation to our contractual commitments, preparing requisite financial reports for grantor agencies, and monitoring the performance of subcontractors and their compliance with required guidelines, procedures and reporting.

The Finance Department is also responsible for administering the Coastal Regional Commission’s payroll and benefits packages, including insurance, retirement plans, leave time, and all related regulatory reporting.