SAO’s top hits of 2021
As we come to the end of 2021, we at SAO want to thank you for your commitment to accountability and transparency. We know it takes people like you, people who care and put in the effort, to make good government happen.
As we come to the end of 2021, we at SAO want to thank you for your commitment to accountability and transparency. We know it takes people like you, people who care and put in the effort, to make good government happen.
Do you remember the scene in the holiday classic “It's a Wonderful Life,” where George's Uncle Billy loses an $8,000 deposit and it nearly results in the ruin of the family's business? Absentminded Uncle Billy had somehow lost or misplaced the money on his way to the bank. In today's dollars, that deposit would be equivalent to about $96,000.
This is the sixth article of our seven-part K&P leadership series. Missed the previous article on encouraging the heart? Read it here.
Governments that spend $750,000 or more in federal awards during their fiscal year must receive a Single Audit to determine their compliance with certain federal requirements. If your government has received a Single Audit—either annually or at some point in the past—you might have wondered how your auditor selected federal programs for audit.
In this bonus edition of our FIT Data Stories series on COVID-19's effect on our cities and towns' revenues, we use our Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT) to take a deep dive into how the pandemic affected Washington's border towns and special districts. Scroll through our interactive infographic to get a better picture of the pandemic's financial effect on our state.
The influx of money from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (Assistance Listing 21.019) prompted many cities and counties to make more subawards than they have the past. Passing along federal money to others does not relieve governments of grant compliance requirements—in fact, it adds to them. The State Auditor's Office is seeing an increase in audit issues around subrecipient monitoring, primarily due to lack of awareness of the requirements.
Updated: December 9, 2021
The State Auditor's Office will start the annual process of updating the BARS Manuals (GAAP and Cash) on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021.
During the updates, sections of both online BARS Manuals will be unavailable for your use. Once updated, they will be fully available for accounting and reporting guidance related to fiscal year 2021 and forward.
We will notify local government audit contacts via email when we have fully updated the BARS Manuals.
While the city of Wapato's financial safeguards have improved somewhat since the city's last audits, the Office of the Washington State Auditor found significant weaknesses in two audits released today.
“The city had a lot of ground to make up in instituting appropriate polices and controls after our last round of audits. Nevertheless, the public expects all governments to be accountable at all times,” State Auditor Pat McCarthy said. “I am concerned by the pace of improvement in Wapato.”
The Center for Government Innovation at the State Auditor's Office is excited to announce our new Accounts Payable Guide for local governments. Use this guide to find ways to improve your operations and discover best practices.
This guide has something for each role in the accounts payable process, whether you are: