Legislative auditors report many recent findings; single-audit delays tied to new accounting system

April Renfro, director of legislative audits at the Legislative Services Office, told the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Jan. 7 that the office is focused on increasing transparency and accountability and that the audit staff is stretched but actively following up on findings.

Renfro said the audit division currently has 30 financial and IT auditor positions and one administrative assistant. “We currently have 30 financial and IT auditor positions,” she said, and noted there are a few openings the office is trying to fill. She described the audit office’s statutory responsibilities, including auditing the annual comprehensive financial report (ACFR) and preparing a statewide single-audit schedule of federal expenditures.

The auditors are required to present an annual report of uncorrected findings. Renfro said roughly 70% of the findings shown in the report are from the current reporting period and thus have not yet had follow-up testing; roughly 30% are older findings that entities have not corrected in a reasonable time. She said the office plans about…