Audits office asks for modest pay boost, subscription funding to protect audit quality

The Department of Audits and Accounts told the Appropriations subcommittee it is requesting modest, targeted increases for fiscal year 2027 to maintain audit quality and staffing.

An agency official said the proposal is "not about expanding our mission," but rather "protecting the quality and the credibility of the work that the General Assembly already relies upon." The package includes a 2% salary adjustment across staff, incorporation of recurring IT subscription costs into the baseline budget, and the first phase of a three‑year transition to assume audits of public school systems.

The department quantified personnel support at roughly $808,000 for recruitment and retention across programs and identified approximately $464,000 and $405,000 in separate line items to cover analytics/AI tools and core IT maintenance. The house also added about $1.7 million in line item 8.8 to fund initial work tied to auditing school systems, which the agency described as the first phase of a three‑year rollout.

Committee members pressed for detail on the personnel math and base salaries; the presenter said the 2% adjustment produced the $688,000 figure and that the school‑audit positions were costed as a blended team mix (senior plus staff auditors) with fully‑loaded estimates including benefits and equipment. He offered to provide further salary breakdowns to the committee.

The agency said its request is driven by rising audit standards, more complex financial arrangements and competitive labor markets that threaten retention of institutional expertise. The presentation closed with the agency offering to provide follow‑up detail on salary blends and timelines for expanding audit coverage.