The primary function of the State Auditor is to ensure local units of government are spending your tax dollars correctly and wisely. The State Auditor is responsible for ferreting out waste, fraud and abuse in local units of government such as cities, counties, school districts, including the Met Council. Uncovering examples of waste, fraud and abuse makes for good headlines, saves the state some money, marginally improves government operations, but in the long term really does very little to get at the fundamental structural problems of big government that in turn create the annoyances and sometimes devastating developments in the private lives of Minnesotans.
An Active State Auditor sees her job as more than just making existing government work better; she sees her job as influencing creation of a better government — a less intrusive government, a government that at the state level performs its constitutional obligations and performs them well and at the local levels provides citizens with essential services commensurate with the taxes they pay.
Independent of both the Legislature and the Governor’s Office, the State Auditor has significant leeway in what and whom she focuses on. The office is a bully pulpit from which to broadcast the results of legal and financial audits. Under her guidance, the office can perform in depth, data-driven studies that generate media attention and provide impetus for Legislative action. And in these severe financial times, we need a State Auditor that does more than uncover problems; we need a State Auditor who can point the way to solutions.
The State Auditor has oversight of all government pension funds, including the large state funds, those in the first class cities and the smaller fire relief associations. Most of these pension funds have long been under funded and are on a course of financial disaster if not reformed immediately. These pension funds are guaranteed by you, the taxpayer; you need a State Auditor that will protect your interests.
And finally, the State Auditor is looked to for opinions on legislation that affects local units of government. Everything from local government aid formulas, county and school district mandates, even the effectiveness of JOBZ and TIF districts. An Active State Auditor doesn’t wait to be asked. She knows what the problems are, knows what the hot button issues will be and is out in front of the curve, collecting and analyzing data framing the issue in terms of what’s best for Minnesota; she does not allow either the Legislature or the Governor’s Office to play politics with your money and your future.
The primary function of the State Auditor is to ensure local units of government are spending your tax dollars correctly and wisely. The State Auditor is responsible for ferreting out waste, fraud and abuse in local units of government such as cities, counties, school districts, even the Met Council. Uncovering examples of waste, fraud and abuse makes for good headlines, saves the state some money, marginally improves government operations, but in the long term really does very little to get at the fundamental structural problems of big government that in turn create the annoyances and sometimes devastating developments in the private lives of Minnesotans.
An Active State Auditor sees her job as more than just making existing government work better; she sees her job as influencing creation of a better government — a less intrusive government, a government that at the state level performs its constitutional obligations and performs them well and at the local levels provides citizens with essential services commensurate with the taxes they pay. She does this in several ways.
Independent of both the Legislature and the Governor’s Office, the State Auditor has significant leeway in what and whom she focuses on. She has a bully pulpit from which to broadcast the results of legal and financial audits. Under her guidance, the office can perform in depth, data-driven studies that generate media attention and provide impetus for Legislative action. And in these severe financial times, we need a State Auditor hat does more than uncover problems; we need a State Auditor who can point the way to solutions.
The State Auditor has oversight of all government pension funds, including the large state funds, those in the first class cities and the smaller fire relief associations. Most of these pension funds have long been under funded and are on a course of financial disaster if not reformed immediately. These pension funds are guaranteed by you, the taxpayer; you need a State Auditor that will protect your interests.
And finally, the State Auditor is looked to for opinions on legislation that affects local units of government. Everything from local government aid formulas, county and school district mandates, even the effectiveness of JOBZ and TIF districts. An Active State Auditor doesn’t wait to be asked. She knows what the problems are, knows what the hot button issues will be and is out in front of the curve, collecting and analyzing data framing the issue in terms of what’s best for Minnesota; she does not allow either the Legislature or the Governor’s Office to play politics with your money and your future.
