HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-18-19 Correspondence - Montana Department of Commerce to Andrus - Project Monitoring Results-BSTF Contract for FreeAgent Network, Inc. DIRECTOR M O N TA N A STEVE BULLOCK
0 1 1 GOVERNOR
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
April 18, 2019
•
Mayor Cyndy Andrus
City of Bozeman - -►� �S
P O Box 1230
Bozeman, MT 59771-1230
RE: Project Monitoring Results - Montana Department of Commerce, Big Sky
Economic Development Program Contract# MT-BSTF-1-19-08, FreeAgent
Network, Inc.
Dear Mayor Andrus:
On March 25, 2019, 1 visited your offices to review the prog-ress of the City'of
Bozeman's BSTF contract for job creation assistance to FreeAgent Network, Inc. I want
to thank Brian LaMeres and Lisa Ledoux with NRMEDD for their time and effort during
the visit. I appreciated and enjoyed the onsite visit to FreeAgents office.
The purpose of the visit was to evaluate the City of Bozeman's compliance with state
requirements of the BSTF program and to assess progress towards completion of the
grant. One of three levels of determination (listed below) is assigned to a particular
issue if the City of Bozeman or FreeAgent Network, Inc.'s performance is considered
less than satisfactory.
Concern
An issue that does not involve a statutory or regulatory requirement but may involve
recommending management or program improvement is considered a concern. A
modification of an administrative procedure or policy would be suggested. No formal
written response is required from the grantee.
Question of Performance
If the review raises a question regarding whether a violation of a statutory or regulatory
requirement has occurred, the BSTF liaison will first informally discuss the review
results with the company to determine if a violation has occurred. If a determination
cannot be made before the end of the monitoring visit, the BSTF liaison may conclude
that there is a question of performance and request additional information to be
provided within 30 days. That period allows the Montana Department of Commerce the
time to determine if a violation has occurred. A final determination will be made within
30 days.
Finding
When a monitoring review reveals a specific, identifiable violation of a statutory
requirement, the BSTF liaison will make a "finding." A written response regarding the
company's proposed actions to correct the situation is required within 30 days of the date
of the BSTF liaison's monitoring letter.
COMMERCE.MT.GOV I MARKETMT.COM
301 S.PARK AVE. I OFFICE OF TOURISM AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT-PO BOX 2005331 HELENA, MT 59620-0533
P:406.841.2870 1 F:406.841.2871 1 TDD:406.841.2702
Corrective actions should:
1. Prevent a continuance of the violation;
2. Mitigate any adverse effects or consequences of the violation to the extent
possible under the circumstances; and
3. Prevent a recurrence of the same or similar violation.
The following is a summary of the compliance areas monitored during our visit:
Prospera Business Network
CRDC FILE AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
✓ CRDC oversight matches the management plan.
✓ Documentation of receipt of administrative expenses is adequate.
No concerns were noted.
City of Bozeman
LOCAL GOVERNMENT FILE MANAGEMENT
✓ Activities completed matched the contract agreement.
✓ No complaints relative to the project have been received.
✓ File is not easily accessible by the public. I was unable to verify all the
documents as the documents are electronically stored and were unavailable.
Files should be readily available for public review if requested. No additional concerns
were noted.
City of Bozeman
LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
✓ Local Government adopted a budget resolution for expenditures.
✓ Budget resolution is on file.
✓ Grant project appears in the local government financial records.
✓ There is a separation of duties.
✓ There are no ineligible expenditures charged against the project.
✓ All expenditures had adequate documentation and authorization.
No concerns were noted.
FreeAgent Network, Inc.
ASSISTED BUSINESS FILE AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
✓ Hiring records were complete.
✓ The business is not meeting hiring goals and records matched the most
recent progress report.
✓ Reviewed payroll records and verified wages match the job creation report.
✓ Documentation of receipt of reimbursed expenses is adequate.
✓ Business is active.
✓ FreeAgents sales did not expand as they had originally hoped. They have
hired a new Sales leader who they hope will increase their sales.
✓ FreeAgent is working on getting a new round of crowd funding.
During the monitoring visit it was discovered that the Worker's Comp insurance was not
posted anywhere for the employees to see. Kortnee is requesting a copy from the
insurance company and will provide proof of posting.
No concerns were noted.
Please note that all project records must be kept on file for three (3) years after you
have received the final BSTF project closeout letter from the Department. Additionally,
to assist the Department with program performance reporting, the BSTF award
recipient may be required to provide annual project updates for 3 years after the close
of the contract.
If you need additional information or have questions, you can contact me at (406) 841-
2792 or by email at ddavidson2@mt.gov.
Sincerely, n
Debi Davidson
Program Specialist
Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund
Montana Department of Commerce
c: Brit Fontenot, City of Bozeman
Kortnee Johnson, FreeAgent Network, Inc.
Rob Gilmore, Northern Rocky Mountain Economic Development Group