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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The Washington Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) is hosting its annual conference this week in Spokane. SAO representatives will be there in person, sharing the latest news on financial reporting and auditing issues.
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Every educational service district in Washington has established a regional school safety center, conducted threat assessments, and offered trainings, resources and consultation to area schools, according to a performance audit released today.
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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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The State Auditor’s Office is the first in the nation to routinely audit investigations of police use of deadly force by comparing them to state rules and professional best practices. This past week, Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation to give auditors greater access to information in that work.
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