Local governments

As a follow up to our #Gov101 series on fire districts, let's take a look at what we can learn about these governments using the Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT)! FIT contains financial data on nearly 2,000 governments in Washington, including over 350 fire protection districts.

Our infographic below merely scratches the surface; there are amazing things to find through exploring the data. Everyone can find a story and learn about all the governments serving our state. What will you discover this time?
 

Check out the second part of the new #Gov101 video on fire districts, which is all about how fire districts in Washington manage their finances.

The Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT) now contains the most recent financial information from nearly 1,800 local governments!

This week, Auditor Pat McCarthy notified local governments of a coming adjustment to the hourly local audit billing rate.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, the local audit billing rate will be $113, due largely to significant salary increases that have affected all state employees.

From the Olympic Peninsula to the Palouse and the area in between, over 2,200 local governments exist to serve the residents of Washington. Although you may be aware of cities and counties, are you aware of the more than 40 types of special purpose governments in our state?

By the Center for Government Innovation

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

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.

Credit card programs

Originally published July 26, 2019 

Updated October 28, 2024 

This blog post was originally published in July 2019, but we've recently updated the Identifying Asset Retirement Obligations Guide. You can find the new Guide in SAO’s Resource Library. We've also updated the links in this post for your convenience. 

Here’s what’s new in the Guide: 

OLYMPIA – 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.

By Alisha Shaw, Program Manager – Team Pullman

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

As communicated during audits and conferences in the past three years, local governments must fully comply with the Uniform Guidance general procurement standards found in 2 CFR 200.318 by the following dates:

By Kristen Harris, Assistant Audit Manager – Center for Government Innovation

Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Local governments should, of course, report unclaimed property, but they also might be in a position to claim it.