Report Suspected Misuse or Waste of Government Resources
Any citizen can report suspected misuse of government property or waste of taxpayer money. Complaints can deal with local and state government, employees and contractors, money and activities.
If you are an employee of Washington state government, you may opt to file your complaint with the State Auditor’s Whistleblower Program which protects your confidentiality after the investigation and publication of the report.
Citizen Hotline submissions can be made using our online File A Citizen Hotline Submission form.
You may also make your submission by calling 866-902-3900 and leaving a message. We will return your call if you leave your contact information.
Citizen Hotline submissions may be made anonymously. If you opt to include your contact information, however, we can follow up with you and share our assessment.
Please ensure your submission is respectful and free from any hateful, discriminatory, or offensive language. All information included in submissions becomes part of public record.
The following are common areas of concern that our Office is able to assess, either through a Citizen Hotline investigation or during the course of our audit work, and areas we do not assess.
Please note we do not review non-government corporations such as private businesses, non-profits or individual citizens.
Areas of concern our Office can typically assess through a hotline submission
- Cash receipting including deposits and general safeguarding
- Associated Student Body (ASB) concerns at public school districts
- Disbursements/expenditures
- Gifts of public funds
- Grants (state and local)
- Safeguarding of assets
- Potential loss or misappropriation of public assets
- Open public meetings (e.g. documentation of meeting minutes, quorums, compliance with executive sessions)
- Capital projects, construction and bid law compliance
Areas of concern our Office does not assess through a hotline submission
- Voting and elections concerns
- Land use and zoning concerns
- Personnel related matters (hiring/firing/promotions/bullying, etc.)
- Public records requests (other than our own documents)
- Questions on individual citizen account bills or claims (please work directly with the applicable government for these)
- Anything currently in litigation
- Child custody concerns
- Public safety issues (e.g. police, sheriff, medical responses)
- Complaints about a specific business
- Homeowners Associations
- Paid Family Medical Leave/Family Medical Leave Act
- Claims (Medicaid/Electronic Benefits Transfer/Unemployment/Health Services)
We have created a webpage of additional resources and services that may be helpful in these areas.
Citizen Hotline FAQ
If I report misuse of resources, what information should I provide?
We ask for as much specific information as possible including name of the entity (state or local government) and dates, times and details of your concern. Our online File A Citizen Hotline Submission form includes more details.
Am I required to give my name or contact information when I make a submission?
No. To make a Citizen Hotline submission anonymously through the form online, simply check the "I want to be anonymous" box to remain anonymous. To stay anonymous when calling us, do not leave any contact details in your message.
While information included in your submission remains confidential during our assessment process, afterward it becomes subject to public records requests.
If you do opt to include your name and contact details, it will help us follow up on your concerns and we can share our final assessment with you.
How can I seek additional help?
After reviewing common areas of concern we typically address or don't address, and checking our webpage of additional resources and services, if you’d still like clarification on what may be considered you may contact the audit team that oversees the specific government in question.
Download a Citizen Hotline poster to post in your workplace (PDF)