The Audit Connection Blog
SAO announces key leadership changes
The State Auditor’s Office is excited to announce several key leadership changes. Please join us in congratulating all of our talented staff members on their new roles with SAO. ... CONTINUE READING
Food for thought: Financial data accuracy and your annual report
You’ve heard the old adage that good food comes from quality ingredients. The same could be said about your government’s annual report: it’s only as good as the data that goes into it. As you prepare to file your annual report this year, remember that there are many consumers of your financial data and its accuracy is important. ... CONTINUE READING
You're invited to our spring recruitment events
During this spring’s recruitment events, attendees will learn about SAO and the skills it takes to be an auditor at our Office. They will also have the opportunity to network with auditors and recruiters, learn what makes a candidate a great fit for SAO, and get a taste of what we do for #GoodGovernment. ... CONTINUE READING
SAO debuts new training on cash handling internal controls and fraud prevention
Do you have cash handling responsibilities in your organization? A new online, on-demand training from the Center for Government Innovation will help you design good internal controls and understand common cash receipting fraud schemes. You’ll also learn how to develop cash handling best practices and the steps you should take if your organization experiences or suspects fraud. ... CONTINUE READING
Mark Rapozo, longtime local audit AD, retires from SAO
After more than 38 years at the Office of the Washington State Auditor, Mark Rapozo, CPA, will retire effective April 2022. Rapozo built extensive professional and personal relationships during his long career in public service. ... CONTINUE READING
Are you verifying your contractor is responsible before awarding a contract? SAO can help
Before hiring a contractor to work on your home, it’s wise to make sure they are licensed, bonded and insured. It helps to protect you if the contractor doesn’t complete work properly, if there are any damages, or if workers are injured while at your home. For governments, it’s not just wise—it’s required by law. ... CONTINUE READING
How to avoid surprises during your audit of cash and investments
It’s not uncommon for a government to have multiple bank or investment accounts with different staff or departments reconciling them. That’s okay, but keep in mind there can be risks when different people are involved with reconciling several accounts. ... CONTINUE READING
Daylight saving time: Add testing your backup file system to your time change routine
This weekend marks the start of daylight saving time, and we all know the drill: Change your clock and the batteries in your smoke alarms. But how often are you testing your government’s backup file system? With the rapid rise in phishing and ransomware schemes, the biannual time change can also serve as a handy reminder to perform this critical task. ... CONTINUE READING
The power of a problem: Building a culture that values solving the right problem once
In our “Power of a Problem” series, we’ve talked about how to identify and define a problem, measure the problem, and break large and complex problems into manageable process improvement projects. At first glance, these steps may seem to require a lot of effort, but failing to solve the right problem can be costly for your government’s pocketbook and morale. If you are a leader in your organization, you have the ability to create a culture that emphasizes solving the right problems the first time and empower others to do the same. ... CONTINUE READING
Recent audits of Washington charter schools
There has been interest in audits of three Washington charter schools released Thursday, March 2. To make it easier to find these reports as a group, we have collected them on one page. ... CONTINUE READING