“Government complaince” audit ordered for County

by David Boyle
News Director
The top two leaders in the Utah Legislature have requested a government compliance audit of Grand and San Juan counties.
The audit was requested by the President of the Utah Senate Stuart Adams (Republican representing Davis county) and Speaker of the Utah House of Representatives Brad Wilson (Republican representing Davis county).
Speaker Wilson shared the following statement regarding the audit request.
“It’s been brought to our attention that some concerning activities have been taking place in San Juan and Grand counties.”
“We’ve seen the emails, read the articles, heard the claims and the best thing we can do that’s within our legislative purview is to request a legislative audit.”
“We’d like some answers because taxpayers deserve to know if their elected officials are working for taxpayers or for special interests. They also deserve to know if elected officials are using taxpayer money wisely.”
The audit has been assigned to Jesse Martinson of the office of the Legislative Auditor General, and won’t begin for another week and a half or so.
In a phone conversation, Martinson shared that right now the scope of the audit is still being determined, but the process will include determining the veracity of allegations that have been made. Martinson added the audit will examine state code to see if relevant parties are complicit with the laws.
Martinson said there are allegations he’s heard but he can’t speak to specifics of what they’ll be investigating at this time. The audit process will include interviewing relevant parties.
Audits performed by the Legislative Auditor General Office are performed under the purview of the state legislature. While any legislator may request an audit, they are prioritized by a committee made up of majority and minority legislative leadership.
Director of Communications for the Utah House of Representatives Alexa Musselman shared in an email that while the time length for an audit process can vary, they are typically completed in six-to-eight months.
The stated mission of the office of the Legislative Auditor General is to provide objective and credible information, in-depth analysis, findings, and conclusions that help legislators and other decision-makers improve programs, reduce costs and promote accountability.