Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Audits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public Auditor flags audit backlog, urges small agencies to secure accountants or consolidate
Summary
Office of Public Accountability released component audits and urged action to address small agencies’ inability to produce audited financials; OPA warned that several component units lack accounting capacity and recommended contracting or consolidation under DOA to complete the government‑wide audit.
Benjamin Cruz, Public Auditor for the Office of Public Accountability, briefed the committee on GovGuam audits. OPA said it released multiple component audits in late April after an OPED number was finalized and reported that 11 audits had been issued to date (including multiple charter schools and major component units). Cruz warned several small agencies (cited examples: Department of Chamorro Affairs, Chamorro Land Trust, Guam Ancestral Lands) lack accounting staff able to prepare auditable financial statements and recommended either appropriating funds for outsourced accountants or folding those functions into DOA to ensure completion of the government‑wide audit.
Why it matters: OPA explained that missing or late component‑unit numbers materially delay the government‑wide audit. The auditors also identified substantial federal major programs in recent years (ARP, FEMA, other grants) that increased compliance workload and required additional auditor resources. DOA and the committee discussed possible recruitment, pay parity and training initiatives (including University of Guam curriculum adjustments) to improve long‑term agency accounting capacity.
Follow up: OPA and DOA will continue coordination; the committee requested updates and scheduled engagements with auditors and contracted firms to clear the backlog.
