The Audit Connection Blog
Lean leadership: Are you ‘leading’ or ‘doing’ the work?
Some might call leading “staying in your lane” or “playing your position.” Another way to think of it is simply doing the job the organization hired one to perform. A leader must “lead” even when it seems more difficult and risky to give up control. Determining how to make the transition from a great worker to a better leader can pose a difficult challenge. ... CONTINUE READING
Communicating and working together lead to successful audits in a remote environment
The Office of the Washington State Auditor made the move to remote auditing in March, and overall we have found the transition to be successful and sustainable for the foreseeable future. However, we have noticed that audits sometimes take a little longer in this environment. In adapting to auditing in a remote environment, flexibility and robust communication have been key to performing timely audits. ... CONTINUE READING
Harness the Power of Role-Based Authentication in FIT!
The Financial Intelligence Tool’s (FIT) role-based functionality has expanded, giving local governments even more leverage over their data. Upon logging into FIT, a local government user has access to some new features. ... CONTINUE READING
Fiscal First Aid for School Districts: Considerations for Schools Dealing with COVID-19
School districts, like so many governments, continue to face challenging situations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They have had to shutter schools, convert to remote learning quickly, and move to remote working all while continuing to provide essential services to their students. ... CONTINUE READING
User-focused updates come to FIT’s financial health indicators
Financial indicators have received a meaningful update in our Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT), making them even more useful by capitalizing on the power of FIT’s statewide collection of financial data. ... CONTINUE READING
Guide to Unauditable Governments: August 2020 update
Since first reporting on about 40 unauditable governments in May 2019, the number of unauditable governments has been cut by about two-thirds. As of August 2020, only 15 governments have not submitted financial information by their final opportunity to do so. Learn more by viewing this interactive infographic. ... CONTINUE READING
Most Unauditable Governments Now Accountable
State Auditor Pat McCarthy is pleased to announce that dozens of governments deemed unauditable last year have taken steps to comply with state accountability laws, leading to today’s publication of completed audits of two governments that had gone without outside review for years. ... CONTINUE READING
Get FIT in 15-minutes or schedule a FIT personal training session
Whether you are a new user, a casual explorer of data, or a government data power-user, SAO is here to ensure you feel confident using the Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT). ... CONTINUE READING
Building and planning go virtual
The permitting counter was usually a busy place at a local city or county government, with contractors and homeowners stopping in to ask questions or buy permits. Most entities have probably changed their processes to reduce interpersonal contact since the pandemic started. ... CONTINUE READING
Help for Washington local governments on CARES Act Grants to Small Businesses
Local governments looking for guidance on managing federal funding provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act will find value in a new, in-depth article from MRSC. ... CONTINUE READING