Section 1260.230  Administrative Policies

a)         To be allowable, costs must meet the following general criteria:  

1)         Be necessary and reasonable for proper and efficient administration of the program, and not be a general expense required to carry out the overall responsibilities of local governments;

2)         Be authorized by or in conformity with local laws or regulations;

3)         Conform to any limitations or exclusions set forth in these rules or any subsequent governing limitations which are binding upon the Department as to types or amounts of costs;

4)         Be consistent with policies, regulations, and procedures that apply to the unit of government of which the I SEARCH Unit is a part;

5)         Be accorded consistent treatment through application of the generally accepted accounting principles utilized by the Primary Contact Agency;

6)         Costs for facilities must be justified by percentage of facility used for I SEARCH and if not leased, shall be calculated at a flat rate of $7.00 per square foot per year; otherwise, the cost shall be the actual cost as approved by the Department after reviewing the lease agreement.

7)         Volunteer services are allowable for in-kind match at the State minimum wage of $3.35 per hour. Professional volunteers contributing their professional services may be allowed at their actual value, not to exceed the rate typically charged by that individual for that service.

8)         Board members' services are allowable at their normal rate of pay, except volunteers at the rate of $3.35 per hour.

9)         Purchase of vehicles is allowed if for 100% I SEARCH use. No mileage costs are allowed for that vehicle, only actual operating and maintenance costs.

10)         Lease/purchasing of vehicles is allowed at one third of the cost over a three year time span. No mileage costs are permitted for that vehicle, only actual operating and maintenance costs.

b)         Conflict of Interest

1)         No member of an I SEARCH Unit may participate in a decision, approval, recommendation or otherwise rule in any matters where their spouse or minor child, business associates, or employers, have a known direct financial interest in the expenditures of DSP funds.

2)         Members of the Unit also shall avoid:  

A)        Using an official position for private gain;

B)        Giving preferential treatment to any person;

C)        Giving the appearance of impropriety by appearing to make decisions based on criteria other than those allowed by this Part.

D)        Making a decision outside official channels;

c)         Reporting irregularities

1)         The I SEARCH Unit Director will report promptly to the Department the nature and circumstances surrounding any financial irregularities discovered. Failure to report known irregularities can result in suspension of the grant.

2)         Upon appropriate investigation and after notice to the grantee regarding any irregularity, the Department may revoke the grant except for any amount obligated previous to the effective date of the revocation if such obligation was made solely for the project as approved.

3)         The determination to suspend or revoke a grant shall be based on a review of the magnitude of the irregularity or if such practices continued after the Unit was notified of such irregularities.

d)         Income

1)         Income represents earnings by an I SEARCH Unit realized from the state-supported activities including, but not limited to, interest earned, service or speaker fees, sale of commodities, and usage or rental fees. Donations of equipment must have a third party appraisal of fair market value with a receipt provided to the donee and placed on file. Cash and other donations are to be recorded by receipt and deposited into either the I SEARCH account or a reserve or trust fund established for that purpose.

2)         Disposition

A)        Interest income earned, restitution, and such other fees as may be acquired will be retained by the I SEARCH Unit to be used as matching funds.

B)        DSP must approve use of all other income.

e)         Minutes of meetings

The unit shall record and maintain as official minutes the proceedings of all Supervisory, Advisory, Ad Hoc and Executive committees or Policy Board meetings. Copies of the official minutes will be forwarded to DSP and shall be available to the general public, unless otherwise restricted by law.

f)          Published reports

All published reports or research papers about the unit or its activities shall acknowledge the Department as a source of funds.