The Audit Connection Blog
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
New resources guide on travel reimbursement, credit card use
The Office of the Washington State Auditor’s Center for Government Innovation partnered with the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) to bring you updated guidance for writing travel and credit card policies. This blog post is courtesy of MRSC. Be sure to visit our Resources Database for these and other resources created to assist local governments in Washington. ... CONTINUE READING
If you work in local government, you need to #BeCyberSmart, even if your job isn't in IT
The need to be cybersecure isn't going away-in fact, it's an issue that grows more relevant each day. As more local governments in Washington are the unfortunate victims of cyberattacks, the reality of the situation cannot be ignored. Visit our new webpage for more information: www.sao.wa.gov/BeCyberSmart ... CONTINUE READING
Risky business? Discussing vulnerabilities with your auditors
National audit standards require every audit to include a formal inquiry with key staff and a member of the governing body to discuss their views on risks the government faces. While this is a routine part of every audit, we sometimes receive questions about the process, what to expect in these conversations, and why we do them. Here’s what you should know about these discussions. ... CONTINUE READING