A state home for developmentally disabled adults improperly kept nearly $80,000 that it should have returned to the state general fund at the end of fiscal year 2009, the Office of Legislative Audits reported Friday.

The state Department of Mental Health and Mental Hygiene, which operates the Potomac Center in Hagerstown, has agreed to return the $79,800 to the general fund, according to a letter signed by Secretary John M. Colmers and included in the OLA report.

Auditors for OLA, an agency of the Department of Legislative Services, found that the Potomac Center did not have adequate records to substantiate expenditures it had accrued June 30, 2009, the last day of the fiscal year.

State law requires that any funds remaining at the end of the fiscal year be returned to the state's general fund.

The auditors said the Potomac Center is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal control of financial records, but acknowledged that errors or fraud might still occur and not be detected.

They said their audit "did not disclose any conditions that we consider to be significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal control that could adversely affect the Center's ability to maintain reliable financial records, operate effectively and efficiently, and/or comply with applicable laws, rules, and regulations."

The Potomac Center is licensed to house up to 63 adults. According to its website, it is an intermediate-care facility for individuals with intellectual disability that "provides individuals admitted there with the appropriate service consistent with the individual's welfare, safety and plan of habilitation." Its average daily population during fiscal year 2009 was 52 residents.