SAO Report
Accountability Audit Report Port of Seattle For the period January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 Published (Inserted by OS) Report No. 1023095 Office of the Washington State Auditor Pat McCarthy Issue Date (Inserted by OS) Port Commission Port of Seattle Seattle, Washington Report on Accountability Thank you for the opportunity to work with you to promote accountability, integrity and openness in government. The State Auditor's Office takes seriously our role of providing state and local governments with assurance and accountability as the independent auditor of public accounts. In this way, we strive to help government work better, cost less, deliver higher value and earn greater public trust. Independent audits provide essential accountability and transparency for Port operations. This information is valuable to management, the governing body and public stakeholders when assessing the government's stewardship of public resources. The attached comprises our independent audit report on the Port's compliance with applicable requirements and safeguarding of public resources for the areas we examined. We appreciate the opportunity to work with your staff and we value your cooperation during the audit. Sincerely, Pat McCarthy State Auditor Olympia, WA Insurance Building, P.O. Box 40021 Olympia, Washington 98504-0021 (360) 902-0370 Pat.McCarthy@sao.wa.gov TABLE OF CONTENTS Audit Results ................................................................................................................................... 4 Related Reports ............................................................................................................................... 5 Information about the Port .............................................................................................................. 6 About the State Auditor's Office ..................................................................................................... 7 Washington State Auditor's Office Page 3 AUDIT RESULTS This report describes the overall results and conclusions for the areas we examined. In most of the areas we examined, Port operations complied with applicable state laws, regulations, and its own policies, and provided adequate controls over safeguarding of public resources. As referenced above, we noted certain matters that we communicated to Port management and Board of Commissioners in a letter dated February 12, 2019, related to compensation increases. We appreciate the Port's commitment to resolving those matters. About the audit This report contains the results of our independent accountability audit of the Port of Seattle from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017. Management is responsible for ensuring compliance and adequate safeguarding of public resources from fraud, loss or abuse. This includes the design, implementation and maintenance of internal controls relevant to these objectives. This audit was conducted under the authority of RCW 43.09.260, which requires the Office of the State Auditor to examine the financial affairs of all local governments. Our audit involved performing procedures to obtain evidence about the Port's uses of public resources, compliance with state laws and regulations and its own policies and procedures, and internal controls over such matters. In keeping with general auditing practices, we do not examine every transaction, activity or area. Instead, based on our risk assessment for the year ended December 31, 2017, the areas examined were those representing the highest risk of fraud, loss, abuse, or noncompliance. The following areas were examined during this audit period: Rooftop plaza: controls over charges and billing Salmon Bay Marina: controls over moorage revenue; charges and billing and cash receipting Assets susceptible to loss and theft: controls over the safeguarding, tracking, and monitoring of these assets Compensation increases for non-represented employees: controls over the job evaluation process and compliance with the Commission approved Salary and Benefits Resolution. Washington State Auditor's Office Page 4 RELATED REPORTS Financial A financial statement audit was performed by a firm of certified public accountants. That firm's report is available on our website, http://portal.sao.wa.gov/ReportSearch. Federal grant programs A firm of certified public accountants evaluated internal controls and tested compliance with the federal program requirements, as applicable, for the Port's major federal programs. That firm's report is available on our website, http://portal.sao.wa.gov/ReportSearch. Washington State Auditor's Office Page 5 INFORMATION ABOUT THE PORT The Port is a municipal corporation of the State of Washington (the state), organized on September 5, 1911, through enabling legislation by consent of the voters within the Port district. In 1942, the local governments in King County, Washington (the County) selected the Port to operate the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (the Airport). The Port is considered a special purpose government with a separately elected commission of five members. The Port is legally separate and fiscally independent of other state or local governments. All revenues and receipts must be disbursed in accordance with provisions of various statutes, applicable grants, and agreements with the holders of the Port's bonds. The Port and its Enterprise Fund, which is used to account for operations and activities that are financed at least in part by fees or charges to external users, is comprised of three operating divisions. The Aviation Division manages the Airport serving the predominant air travel needs of a five-county area. The Maritime Division manages industrial property connected with maritime businesses, recreational marinas, Fishermen's Terminal, cruise, grain and maritime operations. The Economic Development Division focuses on managing the Port's industrial and commercial properties including conference and event centers, encouraging tourism, developing small business opportunities, and providing for workforce development in the aviation, maritime and construction industries. For 2017, the Port had total operating revenues of $632 million, which represents a 5.6 percent increase from 2016. Total operating expenses increased from $325.3 million in 2016 to $373.0 million in 2017. The Port's net operating income before depreciation decreased $14.1 million from 2016 to 2017. Contact information related to this report Address: Port of Seattle Attn: Debbi Browning P.O. Box 1209 Seattle, WA 98111 Contact: Debbi Browning, Assistant Director, General Accounting & Business Telephone: 206-787-3081 Website: www.portseattle.org Information current as of report publish date. Audit history You can find current and past audit reports for the Port of Seattle at http://portal.sao.wa.gov/ReportSearch. Washington State Auditor's Office Page 6 ABOUT THE STATE AUDITOR'S OFFICE The State Auditor's Office is established in the state's Constitution and is part of the executive branch of state government. The State Auditor is elected by the citizens of Washington and serves four-year terms. We work with our audit clients and citizens to achieve our vision of government that works for citizens, by helping governments work better, cost less, deliver higher value, and earn greater public trust. In fulfilling our mission to hold state and local governments accountable for the use of public resources, we also hold ourselves accountable by continually improving our audit quality and operational efficiency and developing highly engaged and committed employees. As an elected agency, the State Auditor's Office has the independence necessary to objectively perform audits and investigations. Our audits are designed to comply with professional standards as well as to satisfy the requirements of federal, state, and local laws. Our audits look at financial information and compliance with state, federal and local laws on the part of all local governments, including schools, and all state agencies, including institutions of higher education. In addition, we conduct performance audits of state agencies and local governments as well as fraud, state whistleblower and citizen hotline investigations. The results of our work are widely distributed through a variety of reports, which are available on our website and through our free, electronic subscription service. We take our role as partners in accountability seriously, and provide training and technical assistance to governments, and have an extensive quality assurance program. Contact information for the State Auditor's Office Public Records requests PublicRecords@sao.wa.gov Main telephone (360) 902-0370 Toll-free Citizen Hotline (866) 902-3900 Website www.sao.wa.gov Washington State Auditor's Office Page 7
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