16.52 Accounting.

(1) Keep separate accounts. The department shall keep in its office separate accounts of the revenues and funds of the state, and of all moneys and funds received or held by the state, and also of all encumbrances, expenditures, disbursements and investments thereof, showing the particulars of every encumbrance, expenditure, disbursement and investment.

(2) Revenue accounts. The department shall place revenue estimates on the books of accounts and credit actual receipts against them as of the last day of each quarter. Except as provided in s. 20.002 (2), any receipts applying to a prior fiscal year received between the day after the date for closing of books specified by the secretary under sub. (5) (a) and the next succeeding such date specified by the secretary shall be credited by the secretary to the fiscal year following the year to which the receipts apply. Except in the case of program revenue and continuing appropriations, any refund of a disbursement to a general purpose revenue appropriation, applicable to any prior fiscal year, received between these dates may not be credited to any appropriation but shall be considered as a nonappropriated receipt. General purpose revenue (GPR) earned, as defined in s. 20.001 (4) is not available for expenditure, whether or not applied to the fiscal year in which received.

(3) Keep appropriation accounts. The department shall keep separate accounts of all appropriations authorizing expenditures from the state treasury, which accounts shall show the amounts appropriated, the amounts allotted, the amounts encumbered, the amounts expended, the allotments unencumbered and the unallotted balance of each appropriation.

(5) Encumbrances and charges for prior fiscal year.

(a) On a date specified by the secretary within 7 days of July 31 of each fiscal year, all outstanding encumbrances against an appropriation entered for the previous fiscal year shall be transferred by the secretary as encumbrances against the appropriation for the current fiscal year, and an equivalent prior year appropriation balance shall also be forwarded to the current year by the secretary. Payments made on previous year encumbrances forwarded shall be charged to the current fiscal year. All other charges incurred during any previous fiscal year, and not evidenced by encumbrances, which are presented for payment between the day after the date specified by the secretary under this paragraph in any fiscal year and the date specified by the secretary under this paragraph in the next succeeding fiscal year shall be entered as charges in the fiscal year following the year in which the charges are incurred. The requirements of this paragraph may be waived in whole or in part by the secretary with the advice of the state auditor on appropriations other than general purpose revenue appropriations and corresponding segregated revenue appropriations.

(b) After the date specified by the secretary under par. (a), agencies shall be allowed not to exceed one month for reconciling prior year balances, correcting errors and certifying necessary adjustments to the department. No prior year corrections shall be permitted after that date, it being incumbent upon all agencies to completely reconcile their records with the department by that date. Each agency shall delegate to some individual the responsibility of reconciling its accounts as herein provided and shall certify the individual's name to the secretary. As soon as a reconciliation has been effected, the agency shall advise the secretary in writing of such fact and shall forward to the secretary a copy of such reconciliation. If any agency fails to reconcile its accounts as provided in this subsection, the person responsible for such reconciliation shall not be entitled to any further compensation for salary until such reconciliation is effected. With the approval of the state auditor any agency which relies extensively on central accounting records may be permitted by the secretary to file a statement of agreement in lieu of a reconciliation on all or part of its accounts.

(c) In addition to the annual reconcilement of accounts required by par. (b), the secretary may request any state agency to reconcile its accounts with those of the department at such other times as the secretary deems necessary. The manner and form of the reconcilement shall be determined by the secretary.

(6) Prior approval of purchase orders, etc.

(a) Except as authorized in s. 16.74, all purchase orders, contracts, or printing orders for any agency, as defined in s. 16.70 (1e), shall, before any liability is incurred thereon, be submitted to the secretary for his or her approval as to legality of purpose and sufficiency of appropriated and allotted funds therefor. In all cases the date of the contract or order governs the fiscal year to which the contract or order is chargeable, unless the secretary determines that the purpose of the contract or order is to prevent lapsing of appropriations or to otherwise circumvent budgetary intent. Upon such approval, the secretary shall immediately encumber all contracts or orders, and indicate the fiscal year to which they are chargeable.

(b) Pursuant to s. 16.72 and subject to ss. 16.53 and 20.903 local purchases may be made or miscellaneous expenses incurred by any state department.

(c) Any department feeling itself aggrieved by the refusal of the secretary to approve any proposed encumbrance or payment under this section or s. 16.53 may appeal from the secretary's decision to the governor, who, after a hearing and such investigation as the governor deems necessary, may set aside or modify such decision.

(7) Petty cash account. With the approval of the secretary, each agency that is authorized to maintain a contingent fund under s. 20.920 may establish a petty cash account from its contingent fund. The procedure for operation and maintenance of petty cash accounts and the character of expenditures therefrom shall be prescribed by the secretary. In this subsection, “agency" means an office, department, independent agency, institution of higher education, association, society, or other body in state government created or authorized to be created by the constitution or any law, that is entitled to expend moneys appropriated by law, including the legislature and the courts, but not including an authority created in subch. II of ch. 114 or in ch. 231, 233, 234, 237, 238, or 279.

(8) Refund accounts. The secretary shall promulgate rules permitting agencies, authorized to do so by the governor, to issue checks, share drafts or other drafts to refund amounts not to exceed $5 each. The secretary may establish petty cash funds for such agencies for the purpose of paying refunds.

(9) Secretary to require accounts of state money, etc. The secretary shall require all persons receiving money or securities or having the disposition or management of any property of the state, of which an account is kept in the secretary's office, to render statements thereof to the secretary; and all such persons shall render such statements at such time and in such form as the secretary shall require.

(10) Department of public instruction. The provisions of sub. (2) with respect to refunds and sub. (5) (a) with respect to reimbursements for the prior fiscal year shall not apply to the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (ac).

(11) Secretary to allocate departmental central services costs. The secretary may allocate and charge, and may prescribe the procedures for departments to allocate and charge, the central services costs of the department of administration or of individual departments to selected federal grants or contracts. The charges to departments for the central services costs incurred by the department of administration and the indirect costs incurred by the departments in the administration of federally-aided programs under grants or contracts shall be made in accordance with the procedures adopted by the secretary.

(12) Date for interfund transfers. Whenever it is provided by law for a transfer of moneys to be made from one fund to another fund and no date is specified for the transfer to be made, the department shall determine a date on which the transfer shall be made or provide for partial transfers to be made on different dates, and transfer the moneys in accordance with its determination.

History: 1971 c. 125, 261; 1973 c. 243; 1975 c. 41 s. 52; 1977 c. 29; 1977 c. 196 s. 130 (3), (4); 1977 c. 272, 273, 418; 1979 c. 34 ss. 65 to 67, 2102 (43) (a); 1981 c. 14; 1983 a. 27 ss. 73, 74, 2202 (42); 1983 a. 368; 1985 a. 29; 1987 a. 399; 1989 a. 31, 336, 359; 1991 a. 39, 316; 1995 a. 27 ss. 296, 297, 9145 (1); 1997 a. 27; 2001 a. 16; 2003 a. 33; 2005 a. 25, 74, 335; 2007 a. 20, 97; 2009 a. 28, 276; 2011 a. 7, 10; 2013 a. 20.