Preparing your government’s payroll takes a lot of time and expertise. From collecting employee information, tracking leave, processing timesheets, and calculating pay to processing garnishments, delivering pay checks, submitting tax forms, and preparing year-end reporting, there’s a lot to do.
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We at SAO extend our thanks to every local government that filed its fiscal year 2022 annual report on time! This year, about 87 percent of local governments met the annual filing deadline, proving once again that compliance, accountability and transparency matter in Washington state.
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While auditing school districts’ federal programs this year, auditors have noted a challenge related to the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program, which was part of the federal government’s COVID-19 relief package and intended to facilitate a fast conversion to remote learning.
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When was the last time you looked at your finance team’s vacation patterns? It may surprise you to learn that many frauds and other breaches of internal controls come to light only after employees go on vacation and other staff take over their tasks.
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Meter reading is the critical first step in a utility’s revenue collection process. Gathering accurate, complete meter data is essential not only for collecting the appropriate amount of revenue to operate the utility, but also for ensuring a positive customer experience and public image.
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From accurate and prompt billing to well-designed collection procedures, accounts receivable requires a robust set of internal controls to ensure your government collects the money it is owed.
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Information the Office of the Washington State Auditor collects about rural counties’ sales and use tax for Fiscal Year 2021 can be found in this Rural County and Sales Tax for Public Facilities Report – FY2021.
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To encourage governments to submit their annual report on time, we’ve created an infographic that displays filing progress across the state.
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Electronic payment fraud is on the rise, and bad actors are using vendor master files to do it. A simple request to change a vendor’s contact information, payment address or banking details can end with thousands or even millions of dollars redirected to fraudulent accounts. This latest blog post from SAO offers tips and strategies for safeguarding your government’s funds.
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Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Oct. 3, 2022, that 125 local governments in Washington will receive $215 million under a resolution with three companies found responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic.
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