Since first reporting on about 40 unauditable governments in May 2019, the number of unauditable governments has been cut by about two-thirds. As of August 2020, only 15 governments have not submitted financial information by their final opportunity to do so. Learn more by viewing this interactive infographic.
State Auditor Pat McCarthy is pleased to announce that dozens of governments deemed unauditable last year have taken steps to comply with state accountability laws, leading to today's publication of completed audits of two governments that had gone without outside review for years.
Update, January 12, 2021: Some of the audits related to the state Employment Security Department have new timeframes.
The accountability audit now will include examining fraudulent claims through the end of December 2020. It is scheduled to be issued in the first quarter of 2021.
The federal government is allowing a three-month extension for federal and financial reporting to grant recipients who have received some form of COVID-19 funding. The State has decided to use this extension. Subsequently, our federal audit will now be issued in May 2021.
Washington State Auditor Pat McCarthy announced Friday she will donate a scheduled salary increase to charity.
McCarthy's scheduled annual increase of $4,000 begins July 1. State law does not allow elected officials to return cost-of-living increases, so McCarthy will donate hers to The Other Bank. It distributes personal hygiene and cleaning items to more than 13,000 low-income individuals and families in Thurston and surrounding counties each year. Items from The Other Bank cannot be purchased with food stamps, and about a third of the recipients are children.
Greetings,
Late Wednesday, June 17, legislative leadership surprised us with a second extension of the annual financial report filing deadline.
The new filing deadline is July 1.
State Auditor Pat McCarthy notified Gov.
Greetings,
As promised, I wanted to let you know as soon as possible that a limited extension of the annual financial report filing deadline has been approved by legislative leadership. The new filing deadline is June 17.
The Camas-Washougal Economic Development Association resisted audits for years, lost public funds and lacked even basic financial documentation since its inception, the Office of the Washington State Auditor found in two reports issued today.
“Public funds need oversight and they need regular audits. Unfortunately, this is an example of the danger to tax dollars and public trust when accountability is shortchanged,” said State Auditor Pat McCarthy. “I hope it serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency and independent auditing, regardless of circumstance.”
I want to share an important update with you. The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) voted Thursday, May 7 to delay implementation of several new accounting standards. The decision by GASB takes effect immediately, and comes in response to requests by governments across the country as they grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
Take a trip through 2019 with the Office of the Washington State Auditor, tracking public dollars and exploring good government. The annual report this year is entirely digital – one more way we've changed our approach to sharing information during the pandemic.
We provide an objective examination of every government in Washington: every state agency, city, school district and much more. Each year, we issue thousands of reports that detail the results of many different kinds of audits. Let's hit the (virtual) road for a look at the numbers and what they mean.