We request that each department designate someone who is actually responsible for conducting the physical inventory. This individual's name would be added in FAMIS under your department as an Alternate Accountable Property Officer (ALT APO), whom we will contact with questions regarding you inventory. This form titled "Department Inventory Information and Authority", which was modeled from the A&M system offices, is to be used for this purpose.

Section I: Department Information

You would need to fill out this section if you have a new department or if you are combining two or more departments into one department. There might be a need to create a new department to get an Inventory Verification List divided up to more specific locations or to have several departments combined. Section II needs to be completed along with Section I.

Section II: Acknowledgment By Department Head

This section informs us that the Department Head acknowledges his/her responsibility as the Accountable Property Officer. This individual is responsible for the physical possession and control of all equipment or property entrusted to his/her department.

Section III: Designation of alternate Accountable Property Officer (ALT APO)

The last section is for the pertinent information about the Alternate APO designated by the Department Head. This person performs the daily functions of property management for his/her department but does not assume total responsibility assigned to the Department Head

Download Department Inventory Information and Authority Form

The Purpose of this form is to notify the TAMUK Property Manager of missing or stolen equipment. It is to be filled out immediately when an item in inventory is discovered to be missing or stolen. Include asset description, place of occurrence, last known location, date of loss, inventory number, and serial number. The form should be signed by the department head on the signature line in the middle of the form and submitted to the TAMUK Property Accounting Office (MSC 104). Correspondence from the department head should be included documenting verification of step 1 thru 9 listed on the form. A copy of the police report must be attached if the item was stolen. The bottom section will be completed by the Property Accounting Office.

The state defines any item as missing as any personal property that has not been physically located. Each department must notify the Property Manager immediately of the missing status of property upon recognition. The state requires a two year waiting period before the equipment can be removed from the department's physical inventory. During this two year waiting period the equipment will still show up on the physical inventory, but will have the word "missing" under location. The department should also search for the missing item during the two year waiting period. After the two years have been completed, the item will be deleted as missing by the Property Manager

The state defines any item as stolen as any personal property missing by known theft, whether by forced removal, burglary, theft by employees, or other criminal acts. Stolen property must be reported to the University Police Department immediately. The state of Texas requires reporting to the Attorney General's office within 72 hours of identifying a theft of personal property. The item will then be removed from the department's physical inventory as stolen.

Due to a provision in the State General Appropriations Act, article IX, Sec. 9.03 Lost Property, "...the Comptroller shall withhold from the General Revenue Funds appropriated to the state agency or institution of higher education by this Act an amount equal to 50 percent of the value of the lost property above the state standards".

General Appropriations Act, 77th Legislature

Special Provision Relating Only to Agencies of Higher Education

Sec. 46 Inventory Performance measure. The General academic and health-related institutions shall report the following new performance measures beginning with the annual performance report for fiscal year 2002:

Lost or stolen property reported to the comptroller of Public Accounts as a percent of the total value of inventory.

The total dollar value of inventoried property lost or stolen.

Download Missing of Stolen Report Form

State regulations require that all capitalized and controlled university personal property shall be permanently marked as property of TAMUK. Marking shall be considered permanent when the marking can be removed only through considerable or intentional means. The state requires all controlled and capitalized property to be tagged within ten days of receipt of the item.

Each item of personal property will be assigned a unique property inventory number by the Famis System (as shown above). Departments may not replace a new piece of property with a unique property inventory number previously assigned to another piece of property, even if the previous item has been deleted from the inventory. When a new controlled or capitalized item is received, it is the department's responsibility to enter the receiving and Preliminary Fixed Assets information within the required time frame.

Blank labels with “Property of Texas A&M University-Kingsville” will be purchased and stocked at the campus Storeroom. Departments will purchase labels from the Storeroom as needed. When the Preliminary Fixed Assets screens are completed, that person will immediately write the “tag number” on a blank property label and affix it to the item.

At the end of each month Property Accounting will print all the barcode tags for the items entered during that month. These tags will be mailed to the departments along with the TBAR006 Report.  These tags will be placed on the assets to be read by the bar code scanner during inventory.

The TBAR006 Report lists all the pertinent information for each asset initiated within the month on a separate page with a signature line. This page, along with the matching barcode label, will be delivered by interdepartmental mail to the Department Head or Alternate APO. The Alternate APO, under the direction of the Department Head, will verify the accuracy of the information, affix the tag to the item, sign the sheet and return it to Property Accounting. Delivery to the department should be within 7 days of receiving the report. This form must be returned to Property Accounting no later than the 25^th of each month. Form will be kept by Property Accounting in the Department folder file.

Periodic spot checks will be planned to verify the accuracy of the department information.

TEX. GOV'T CODE ANN. sec. 403.271(e) (Vernon Supp. 1997) reads:

"A state agency shall mark and identify state property in its possession. The agency shall follow the rules issued by the comptroller in marking state property."

All property identified within the State Property Accounting System classification structure must, at a minimum, be marked or tagged as property owned by the State of Texas.

APO stands for Accountable Property Officer, which usually is the head of the department. The alternate Accountable Property Officer is assigned by the head of the department and is usually in charge of conducting the physical inventory.

You are responsible for the equipment until the service crew removes it from your department.

All remaining parts should be transferred to Surplus. A Property Deletion Form should be submitted listing the inventory numbers that should be removed from your inventory. Computer numbers should tie to the empty cases.

Definitely all items over $5,000 with a useful life of at least one-year must be inventoried because it is a capital purchase. In addition, TAMUK must inventory certain controlled assets. These are specific items costing less that $5,000 but which are highly susceptible to theft or misuse. A list of controlled assets is given under Class Codes - Controlled Property. Both capital purchases and controlled items must be inventoried

There is no longer a wait for the equipment to be tagged. With the initiation of Preliminary fixed Assets, tagging is now a part of the receiving process in your department.

If it is an item that is not used frequently, but is being used, it can be kept. But, if it is an item that has not been used within a year, then you should consider sending it to Surplus.

A gift in kind form should be submitted to Administrative Secretary in the Office of Development. A copy of that completed form should be sent to the Property Accounting Office.