State Auditor

Constitutional Division

Statewide Outcome(s):

The Constitutional Division (Division) supports the following statewide outcome(s).

Efficient and accountable government services.

Context:

State Auditor is an independent constitutional officer elected statewide with specific legal authority to provide oversight of over 4,300 units of local government. The State Auditor oversees $20 billion spent each year to deliver local government services. The Division provides senior-level management and leadership to the Office of the State Auditor (OSA) and supports the State Auditor’s service on six state boards and two councils. The Division is funded by a general fund direct appropriation.

For more information about the Division, please visit http://www.auditor.state.mn.us/whatwedo.htm.

Strategies:

The Division accomplishes its goal of providing effective oversight of local government finances by:

·         Leveraging the extensive knowledge of local government finance and accounting expertise of all OSA divisions;

·         Building and maintaining relationships with local government associations, the Minnesota Society of CPAs, and local officials to proactively address emerging finance and compliance issues;

·         Conducting outreach to the public to instill confidence in local government finances;

·         Proposing, pursuing, and monitoring legislation that increases accountability of local government finances;

·         Working with the media to increase transparency and raise public awareness of local government finances; and

·         Attending conferences and trainings to fulfill fiduciary duty for service on state boards.

Results:

The State Auditor received the 2011 League of Minnesota Cities President’s Award for “Unwavering Support of Minnesota Local Government in Enhancing Effectiveness, Efficiency and Accountability for all Minnesotans.”

Performance Measures Notes:

1.     “Previous” refers to calendar year 2010, and “Current” refers to calendar year 2011.

2.     Informal speeches and informal meetings are not reflected in the above numbers.

3.     The State Auditor serves on the Executive Committees of the National State Auditor’s Association (NSAA) and the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT), who are focused on accountable and transparent government.