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"We provide Utah taxpayers and government officials with an independent assessment of financial operation, statutory compliance, and performance management for state and local government."
- Tina M. Cannon Utah State Auditor
Accountability Through Audits – Trust in government increases when people know someone is watching and standards are being enforced.
Transparency is a cornerstone of good governance. When governments openly share information about their decisions, finances, and operations, it leads to greater public trust and more informed public input.
Accountability and Transparency Lead to Assurance – the public’s confidence that government is operating honestly, effectively, and in the public interest. Assurance fosters public trust, strengthens representative government, and supports more informed participation in civic life.
Financial Audit
The Financial Audit Division performs audits and reviews of state agencies, colleges and universities, and federal programs in accordance with professional auditing and attestation standards. Their responsibility is to provide an independent assessment of Utah’s financial operations, statutory compliance with laws and regulations, and internal controls.
Data Analytics and Transparency
The Data Analytics Division is committed to providing government transparency and accountability for all taxpayers. Using data-driven insights, the team creates tools, graphical visualizations and databases that show data in a usable and comparable form, demonstrating areas for potential improvement and help ensure public funds are used effectively and responsibly.
Local Government
The Local Government Division ensures uniform accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting by Utah’s local governments. Services provided to counties, municipalities, school districts, and special districts include consultation, training, budget forms, and uniform accounting guidelines. Additionally, the Division reviews independent audits of all units of local government for compliance with reporting standards, conformity with generally accepted accounting principles, and state law.
Special Purpose Audits
The Special Purpose Audits Division performs targeted audits and reviews which evaluate financial activities, statutory compliance, operational performance and make recommendations to improve governmental entities and programs. The team maintains and monitors the State Auditor Hotline which allows anyone to submit information regarding potentially improper government activities, statutory non-compliance, fraud, waste and abuse. The team screens, prioritizes, and performs appropriate reviews based on this information.
Privacy
The State Privacy Division focuses on identifying high-risk data processing activities, auditing how more than 1,800 government entities handle personal data, and promoting privacy as a basic human right. Conducting privacy-focused audits and reviews of government data collection, the division promotes and ensures privacy protection as an essential component and best practice across Utah.
