The Audit Connection Blog
More ways to #BeCyberSmart for the finance and legal departments of local governments
Cybersecurity is complex, and it can be hard to understand what your role is in keeping your organization safe from threats. The Center for Government Innovation has developed two new resources specifically for finance and legal staff at local governments. Staff in these departments play an important role in cybersecurity, and these resources provide understandable and actionable guidance and relevant information. ... CONTINUE READING
Auditor announces adjustment to hourly billing rate
This week, Auditor Pat McCarthy notified local governments of a coming adjustment to the hourly local audit billing rate. ... CONTINUE READING
Government data tells a story with FIT – just take a look at what you can learn about drainage and diking districts
The Office of the Washington State Auditor collects financial information from nearly 2,000 local governments each year and displays this data intuitively through the Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT). We explore what can be learned about government by being curious in their financial data. We encourage you to find something interesting and learn about all the local governments that serve the citizens of our state. What story will you find? ... CONTINUE READING
New resources identify best practices for credit card programs and travel expenditures
The Center for Government Innovation has published two new resources to help local governments identify best practices for two different, but possibly related areas: credit card programs and travel expenditures. ... CONTINUE READING
Find out where SAO's money comes from and where it goes
Curious where the State Auditor's Office gets its funding from, and how it spends that money? As part of our ongoing effort to increase transparency in government, we made a simple explanation of our $47.1 million budget for 2018. ... CONTINUE READING
Summary infographic of the 2018 State of Washington Single Audit report
The Single Audit examines whether Washington state agencies complied with federal grant requirements. This visual report provides a summary of Washington's 2018 Single Audit. ... CONTINUE READING
Summary infographic of Washington's 2018 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report
Each year, as required by law, the state publishes its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) to provide information on the state’s financial position. To make this important information accessible to the broadest possible audience, the State Auditor’s Office prepares this CAFR summary to provide a snapshot of the state’s financial position, including revenues and expenditures, cash balances and debt. ... CONTINUE READING
McCarthy: First Settlement in Wapato Case a Win for Good Government
Washington State Auditor Pat McCarthy praised an agreement announced by Attorney General Bob Ferguson Friday, requiring the resignation of the administrator of the troubled city of Wapato. ... CONTINUE READING
Time is up! Written procurement procedures that comply with Uniform Guidance must be implemented for 2018 single audits
The requirement for procurement and standards of conduct procedures is not new and was previously addressed in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-102 and Circular A-110. However, the Uniform Guidance explicitly required documented procedures by updating the requirement for procedures from “will” to “must” and adding the word “documented.” ... CONTINUE READING
Unclaimed property can work both ways for local government
If they are not already doing so, local governments should consider periodically checking this database and recovering property due to them. A best practice might be checking the unclaimed property website once a year. ... CONTINUE READING