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State auditor’s office briefs committee on staffing, modernization and software projects
Summary
Office of the State Auditor officials outlined staffing levels, recent funding and projects including a $1.25 million office modernization and a multi‑phase Workiva rollout; the office requested nonrecurring funds for implementation and third‑party support to complete reform recommendations.
Officials from the Office of the State Auditor briefed the finance committee on the agency’s staffing, funding received in the current budget and several modernization projects.
The office reported it received $900,000 in general‑fund support this year and said other‑fund authorization increased by about $210,000. Lawmakers were told the agency received $1,250,000 in one‑time funding for an office modernization project that will update finishes, carpeting and build seven new offices. The office also described a multi‑phase deployment of Workiva software intended to let agencies upload closing packages directly into a unified system.
The presenter said the office has 43 authorized full‑time positions, 33 of which are filled and 10 vacant; several vacancies are in recruitment. The office described recent FTE realignments that moved roughly 5.25 positions from state funds to other funds to allow those activities to be self‑funded. The agency said it added new positions after two staffing reviews: an HR director, an executive assistant and a quality‑assurance manager in administration; an AP auditor and payroll analyst in the accounts‑payable/payroll division; and an ACFR accountant in the statewide financial reporting division.
Officials told the committee the AP/payroll division processes the state’s payroll and vendor disbursements and that in FY 2024 the office processed roughly 652,000 disbursements (about 12,000 per week). The presenter said average processing time for AP transactions was 2.9 days and a target of under four days has been maintained.
The office said it exhausted a general‑fund carryforward of approximately $331,000 that largely covered legal expenses and other costs. Staff described current legal expenses and ongoing costs tied to implementing audit recommendations; the presentation included a request for nonrecurring funds to hire a third‑party accounting and auditing firm to assist with implementation and to expedite process documentation begun by the new quality assurance manager.
Officials described employee development work, including paying for CPA exam fees and licenses for staff, and said the Workiva implementation will move to a second phase that gives agencies access to the platform. The presenter said university reporting will be accommodated by the new system, noting some differences in university reporting formats.
Committee members asked about automation and the potential role of artificial intelligence; the agency said some document review and approval could be automated but that critical accounting judgments and nuanced reviews would still require human oversight.
The presentation concluded and the committee proceeded to the next agenda item.
