(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.)
I often mention the fact that every local government in Indiana is regularly audited by state government. I repeat it because it’s one of the most important things we citizens should know: our tax dollars are in good hands and being used legally.
The frequency of audits depends upon the type of local government unit, because some are bigger and more complex than others. Some scheduled audits cover a wide scope, while others might be focused on a single fund, like the high school’s extracurricular accounts. Our school district received a thorough audit every two years. And when I say “thorough,” I mean “bordering on invasive.”
You’ve probably never heard of the Indiana State Board of Accounts (SBOA), and that’s a shame. Because there is nobody in government – and I mean nobody – who works as hard as they do to protect you, friendly taxpayer. Their job is to make local government prove they’re telling the truth when it comes to how they use the taxes you pay – and that everything they do follows state and federal law.
I’m familiar with audit processes for public companies in highly regulated industries like energy and banking. No matter how much executives in those roles complain about their audits, they’re a piece of cake compared to what happens when local government officials get the notice from SBOA. Depending upon the type of audit, we might have to provide office space for three SBOA auditors for upwards of six weeks.
Think it’s just a glance at the books and get a stamp of approval process? I remember an audit of the high school’s extracurricular account, when we were taken to task. Why? Because at a particular girls’ volleyball match, our records indicated that we sold 156 tickets, but there were only 154 ticket stubs. I kid you not. These poor people sat in our little conference room and counted ticket stubs for every team, every sport. I’d trust those people to take care of my pets. Maybe even my grandkids.
Another reason I like to mention that every local government in Indiana is regularly audited by state government is that there’s a demand that frequently shows up in those godawful social media chatter sites. This town council is CORRUPT!!! Someone needs to look and see what THEY are doing with OUR money!!! Can we DEMAND an AUDIT???
You don’t need to demand it, because it already exists. Enter audit.sboa.in.gov in your browser, and you’ll be able to access all sorts of audit reports for the local governments your tax dollars fund. The complete reports include any responses from local officials. Nothing blacked-out or hidden, because you have a right to know. I’ve read a lot of them over the years. They’re really dry. No humor at all. Just “here’s what we looked at, here’s what we found, and here’s what has to happen.” Sat in many pre- and post-audit conferences listening to things like ticket stub shortfalls.
And do you know what I thought of it all? I loved it. Because I wasn’t just an elected official; I was also a taxpayer. Knowing just how carefully SBOA studies the finances of local government makes me completely confident that my tax dollars are in safe hands. I still love it. I’m an ordinary citizen, and yet I can take a peek at any of those reports any time I want. That’s transparency. And being a better-informed citizen and voter.
But wait, you say! Don’t we see headlines about local government employees stealing from the taxpayers? Yes, you do, because SBOA does its job so well. If you’re an elected official or government employee, you should know how carefully the state watches money. Try to pocket some, and you’re going to get caught and publicly prosecuted. Those headlines you see don’t mean that local government officials and staff are all criminals – they mean the tiny handful who commit criminal acts get caught and pay the price.
Not many people spend their free time reading audit reports. But knowing they’re there—and knowing anyone can read them—should make every taxpayer feel a little better about how public money is being watched.