The Audit Connection Blog
Accountability reforms have significantly cut number of unauditable governments
The number of unauditable governments in Washington has dropped dramatically, leaving only eight that have failed to provide basic financial records and cooperate with an audit by the Office of the Washington State Auditor. ... CONTINUE READING
Spending policy and your new cash-basis fund balance classifications
In the spring of 2020, SAO changed the way that cash-basis local governments were to report their cash and investment balances. Gone away were reserved and unreserved classifications and in their place came unassigned, assigned, committed, restricted, and unspendable. This meant a new task was at hand—calculating the amount of total ending cash and investments that fits into these new classifications at the end of each fiscal year. This article helps you understand how a local government’s accounting policies may dictate how to calculate these amounts. ... CONTINUE READING
Tenino loses almost $300,000 in digital payment misappropriation
The City of Tenino lost $280,309 in public funds after an employee sent the money out of state using a common electronic payment method, according to a fraud report released today by the Office of the Washington State Auditor (SAO). ... CONTINUE READING
K&P leadership series: Using the five behaviors to build a Lean culture
Over the course of this series, we’ve explored the five core behaviors—as described in the Kouzes and Posner Leadership Challenge (K&P)—that people can use to become better leaders regardless of their management style or personality. These core behaviors are also the foundation for building a Lean culture in your organization. ... CONTINUE READING
New year, new FIT data
With the new year comes new annual report filings. Our second quarterly update of the 2020 fiscal year financial data in the Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT) includes more governments so you can see where public money comes from and where it goes. ... CONTINUE READING
Annual report: How SAO advanced the mission of good government in 2021
As the COVID-19 pandemic rolled on through 2021, Washington’s public auditors kept up their essential work. The Office of the Washington State Auditor continued working closely—and remotely—with local governments and state agencies to ensure accountability and transparency for public resources. ... CONTINUE READING
Updated BARS Manuals now available on SAO’s website
The “Overview of Changes” section contains descriptions of the changes and links to the appropriate sections of the manuals. Please refer to the “Alerts and Changes” tab for determining which revisions might affect your 2021 annual reporting. ... CONTINUE READING
SAO’s top hits of 2021
As we come to the end of 2021, we at SAO want to thank you for your commitment to accountability and transparency. We know it takes people like you, people who care and put in the effort, to make good government happen. ... CONTINUE READING
Protect yourself against losses. Consider bonding today
Do you remember the scene in the holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life,” where George’s Uncle Billy loses an $8,000 deposit and it nearly results in the ruin of the family’s business? Absentminded Uncle Billy had somehow lost or misplaced the money on his way to the bank. In today’s dollars, that deposit would be equivalent to about $96,000. ... CONTINUE READING
BARS Manuals updates starting Dec. 13
The State Auditor’s Office will start the annual process of updating the BARS Manuals (GAAP and Cash) on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021. During the updates, sections of both online BARS Manuals will be unavailable for your use. Once updated, they will be fully available for accounting and reporting guidance related to fiscal year 2021 and forward. ... CONTINUE READING