Ohioans expecting to see how their tax dollars are being managed will have their chance come tomorrow, as Keith Faber's office, the Ohio Auditor of State, gears up to release a series of financial and procedural audit reports. The state's watchdog, tasked with fighting against the misuse of public funds, will provide insights into various public entities on a semiweekly basis.
The audits span entities such as school districts, library systems, and township governments. The upcoming release includes an array of financial audits and agreed-upon procedures, specifically pertaining to Medicaid Program Integrity (MED) and Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) examinations. Additionally, several Independent Public Accountant (IPA) assessments and Findings for Recovery (FFR) are detailed in a list provided by the Auditor’s office.
Among the entities audited is RES-CARE OHIO, INC. DBA Mt. Hope #2 Group Home, which underwent an Agreed Upon Procedures investigation into its activities from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. The Barnesville Exempted Village School District and Western Brown Local School District are also on the transparency docket, with both districts having been audited for the fiscal years of July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
Unexpected findings are not off the table, as previous audits have sometimes resulted in Findings for Recovery, indicating instances where public funds were mishandled. For example, the Piqua Public Library, spanning the examine period of January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2023, has been marked with an FFR, suggesting potential discrepancies have been identified.
For those interested in the financial stewardship of education, several school districts across Ohio, such as the Madeira City and Princeton City School Districts, have undergone financial audits from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. These reports could shed light on how these educational institutions are allocating their fiscal resources and managing their budgets.
Ohio residents can find the complete audit reports on the Auditor’s website after they are released. Auditor of State Keith Faber's office maintains an AOS Audit Search website where documents can be reviewed starting tomorrow, as confirmed by the state's notice published today.
