State Auditor Hector Balderas is working to crack down on scofflaw cities and towns that haven't been audited in many years.
It's a good thing to go after, given that an audit is one way to ferret out wrongdoing and misspending -- and good government, as well. The bad news for Balderas is that he's really got no way to make the agencies do an audit. Nothing in state law allows him to impose fines, he said, or for the Legislature to withhold funding to an agency that doesn't do the audit. If I had to guess, I'd say that might change in the coming years.
One commenter who read my story this morning asked to see the list of agencies that haven't done audits in several years AND haven't responded to Balderas' office as to why not. Here are the agencies who have done neither. The list of agencies without recent audits is much longer, but those not listed here have been in contact with the Auditor's Office as to why they have missed their deadlines.
Agency type, Agency, Name, Year of last audit report
1 State Agency 803 Eastern Plains Council of Governments 2004
2 Special District 4021 Hammond Conservancy District 2007
3 Special District 4031 North Central Solid Waste Authority 2004
4 Special District 4043 San Rafael Water & Sanitation District 2005
5 Special District 4046 High Plains Waste Management Association 2002
6 Special District 4048 Carlsbad Irrigation District 2006
7 Special District 4066 Anthony Water and Sanitation District 2007
8 Special District 4080 Rio San Jose Flood Control District 2004
9 Special District 4085 Regional Waste Water Treatment Plant 2005
10 Special District 4090 Yah-ta-hey Water & Sanitation District 2005
11 County 5006 De Baca County 2007
12 County 5018 Mora County 2007
13 Municipality 6008 City of Aztec 2006
14 Municipality 6028 Village of Santa Clara 2007
15 Municipality 6040 Village of Columbus 2007
16 Municipality 6046 Village of Cuba 2004
17 Municipality 6050 Village of Des Moines 2006
18 Municipality 6058 Village of Encino 2006
19 Municipality 6081 Village of Grenville 2007
20 Municipality 6100 Town of Lake Arthur 2002
21 Municipality 6120 Village of Maxwell 2005
22 Municipality 6122 Village of Melrose 2007
23 Municipality 6130 Village of Mosquero 2007
24 Municipality 6158 Village of San Ysidro 2006
25 Municipality 6174 City of Texico 2006
26 Municipality 6182 Town of Vaughn 2005
27 Municipality 6183 Village of Virden 2007
28 School 7020 Cuba Independent Schools 2007
29 School 7028 Espanola Public Schools 2006
30 School 7032 Floyd Municipal Schools 2007
31 School 7062 Mountainair Public Schools 2007
32 School 7087 Vaughn Municipal Schools 2007
33 Housing Authority 6046-A Cuba Housing Authority 2004
34 Housing Authority 6182-A Vaughn Housing Authority 2006
I cannot for the life of me, figure out why this in not a top priority. Balderas has said over and over, every dollar that is spent auditing will save that dollar and more in reduced waste from corruption and incompetence.
ReplyDeleteEven if it wouldn't save a penny, shouldn't we end public corruption and incompetence as a matter of principle?