The Office of the Comptroller of Puerto Rico issued a qualified opinion of the fiscal operations of the Municipality of Vega Alta. A qualified opinion is issued when noncompliances, individually or together, are significant but not pervasive.
The Report reveals that the Municipality used public personnel, property and funds to repave the streets and the parking lot in a private condominium that did not meet the requirements established for that purpose in the current law and ordinance. The Municipality could not certify the ownership of the condominium streets, did not formalize a contract with the condominium to establish the cost of the services, and the auditors could not determine the cost of the repaving work and materials.
(See photos in Exhibit 1).
The three-finding audit also notes that the then mayor gave instructions to repair the fence, install a basketball hoop backboard and paint the recreational areas of said condominium. These situations are contrary to Act 107-2020, the Municipal Code of Puerto Rico.
The Report publishes that the Municipality's files lacked written evidence of the request for the quotes received, and did not identify the employees who participated in the process. In addition, the invoices and labor reports of advisors contracted for $69,000 for construction inspection and supervision services did not include a description of the work performed. These situations do not allow for adequate control of the purchases and lead to irregularities being committed in the disbursements.
The examination of a sample of the files and the minutes of general bids in Vega Alta from 2016 to 2019 revealed that they were not numbered and lacked complete information about the determinations of the Bidding Board, among other deficiencies. These situations foster the lack of transparency and confidence in the correctness of the processes and the agreements.
The audit comments that, as of February 18, 2021, seven civil lawsuits against the Municipality for $1,202,000 were pending resolution by the courts.
This second and final report of Vega Alta covers the period from January 1, 2016 to February 29, 2020.
See Audit Report M-22-23.
To view other published reports, visit our Audit Reports section.
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