State Auditor Crit Luallen released the fiscal year 2008-2009 Title VI compliance audit of state government agencies that receive federal funds and must comply with state law by submitting Title VI reports and implementation plan updates to the Auditor's Office and the Human Rights Commission by July 1 of each year.

Kentucky Auditor Crit Luallen has released the second volume of the annual statewide audit of Kentucky for fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, finding cases where state agencies are not properly monitoring how grant recipients spend federal funds.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released the annual audit of Louisville Metro government, which makes 69 findings with recommendations on the city's financial reporting and its oversight of federal dollars.

In an effort to further assist public and nonprofit boards statewide, State Auditor Crit Luallen released an update of her office's original 28 "lessons learned" document from the audit of the Lexington Blue Grass Airport.

Kentucky Auditor Crit Luallen has released the first part of the annual statewide audit of the Commonwealth of Kentucky for fiscal year ending June 30, 2009 - expressing an unqualified or clean opinion on the state's financial statements.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released a special examination of the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC), which found a "staff-driven" organization with weak board oversight and inadequate policies governing ethical conduct, compensation, spending, conflicts of interest and procurement.

This lack of oversight resulted in executive staff receiving unprecedented salaries and exorbitant retirement bonuses that cost more than $500,000; spending more than $350,000 in excessive or questionable spending; and developing numerous conflicts of interest - including inappropriate relationships with KLC vendors.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released a special examination of the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo), which found a "self-serving" culture that resulted in more than $3 million in excessive or questionable spending over a three-year period.

As KACo's revenues increased 75 percent from 2003-2008 taking the annual budget to more than $5.7 million, the level of discretionary spending by the organization also increased instead of KACo maximizing benefits to the counties it serves.

State Auditor Crit Luallen has been named a 2009 "Public Official of the Year" by Washington D.C. magazine Governing for her positive impact on government in Kentucky.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released a special examination on an electronic payroll theft of nearly $416,000 from Bullitt County Fiscal Court in June. The examination offers numerous recommendations to the county for strengthening online banking and information technology resources.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released a series of performance audits on 29 adult education programs funded by the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) with grants totaling $5.7 million in the 2008 fiscal year.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Luallen's Office was requested by CPE to audit its adult education grant recipients across the Commonwealth. Each year, CPE selects nearly 25 percent of its programs to be audited. The programs are selected on a rotating basis. CPE began appropriating funds for these audits in 2000.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released Wayne County Clerk Melissa Turpin's audit of her 2008 financial statement, which refers a $52,930 deficit in her official account to the Kentucky State Police and the Kentucky Attorney General's Office for further investigation.

State Auditor Crit Luallen announced her plans to audit the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) and the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo) due to recent alarming media reports and serious concerns over spending.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released the fiscal year 2007-2008 Title VI compliance audit of state government agencies that receive federal funds and must comply with state law by submitting Title VI reports and implementation plan updates to the Auditor's Office and the Human Rights Commission by July 1 of each year.

State Auditor Crit Luallen today released five audits of Whitley County Sheriff Lawrence Hodge, which found a total deficit of nearly $125,000 in the office over a three-year period.

The Kentucky State Auditor's Office is relocating Friday, June 5 to its new location at 209 St. Clair St. in downtown Frankfort.

The office, which is currently located off Georgetown Road in Frankfort on Sea Hero Road, will be completely moved by Monday, June 15.

During a speech to the Kentucky Society of CPAs at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Auditor Crit Luallen presented a list of 'lessons learned' from the audit of the Lexington Blue Grass Airport that can benefit public and nonprofit boards across the state

State Auditor Crit Luallen today released an audit requested by the legislature of nursing contracts used by the Department for Mental Health within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Kentucky Auditor Crit Luallen released the review of McCracken County's questionable purchases during the January 2009 Ice Storm - finding no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

Kentucky Auditor Crit Luallen has released the second volume of the annual statewide audit of Kentucky for fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, finding the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management (KyDEM) failed to properly oversee a $1.8 million federal Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) grant for 10 counties.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released the 2007 Knott County Fiscal Court audit, finding that the administration of county judge-executive Randy Thompson has failed to correct numerous prior-year audit findings.

Luallen referred the audit to several law enforcement agencies, including the Kentucky State Police, Kentucky Attorney General's Office, FBI and US Attorney's Office.

Kentucky Auditor Crit Luallen has released the first part of the annual statewide audit of the Commonwealth of Kentucky for fiscal year ending June 30, 2008.

The audit, known as the Statewide Single Audit of Kentucky (SSWAK), contains 74 findings and recommendations related to deficiencies in internal controls over financial reporting - a factor many agencies are saying is a direct result of the current state budget constraints. A copy of the audit can be viewed at www.auditor.ky.gov.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released an audit of the Lexington Blue Grass Airport, which found a culture of "shameful" and excessive spending by management that resulted in auditors finding more than a half of million dollars in questionable expenditures over a three-year period.

The audit, which reviews finances from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008, makes 43 findings and 58 recommendations to strengthen financial management and controls.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released an audit of the Louisville Metro Department of Housing and Family Services, which found gross mismanagement of critical city programs and of the millions of local and federal dollars used to fund them.

The audit, which reviews finances from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008, makes 43 findings and 58 recommendations to strengthen financial management and controls.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released an audit requested by the legislature of the oversight of three contract vendors used by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to implement the Commonwealth Assessment Testing System (CATS).

The audit identifies nine findings and offers specific recommendations to KDE toward strengthening its controls and oversight of the contracted services.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released a briefing report on the Kentucky Department of Charitable Gaming, which regulates the state's second largest gaming industry.

In 2007, charitable gaming had $489 million in gross receipts, making it second to the Lottery, which brought in $744 million, and just ahead of horseracing, which produced $470 million.

State Auditor Crit Luallen's Office today released an audit of the Capital City Airport Division - calling for stronger policies and a more efficient organizational structure relating to Kentucky's aircraft.

The audit, which makes recommendations on 10 findings, found no formal process for setting usage rates, a failure to request or check passenger identification, a broad definition of who can fly on a state aircraft, the inability to control the use of air charter flights by state agencies and a decentralized air fleet.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released the final two audits of the Knox County Fiscal Court for fiscal years 2006 and 2007, which cover the administration of former Knox County Judge-Executive Raymond Smith.

Smith, who is scheduled for sentencing on Tuesday, pleaded guilty to federal mail fraud on March 3, 2008. The charges stem from 2003-2005 audit findings that Luallen's office referred to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released an examination of a $5 million agriculture grant that found lax oversight and questionable results.

The Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy (GOAP) and its governing board awarded the grant to a vendor charged with assisting Kentucky farmers over the last three years.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released a series of performance audits on 31 adult education programs funded by the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) with grants totaling $11.6 million in the 2007 fiscal year.

State Auditor Crit Luallen released an audit of the financial records of Kenlake State Resort Park, which documents the theft of almost $75,000 by a Kenlake employee over more than a two-year period.

State Auditor Crit Luallen today released former Perry County Sheriff Dennis Pat Wooton's 2005 and 2006 tax settlement audits, which led auditors to discover $573,025 in missing funds dating back to the 2002 tax settlement account of the previous sheriff.

State Auditor Crit Luallen today released the fiscal year 2006-2007 Title VI compliance audit of state government agencies that receive federal funds and must comply with state law by submitting Title VI reports and implementation plan updates to the Auditor's Office and the Human Rights Commission by July 1 of each year.

A report issued today by the Office of State Auditor Crit Luallen says the state does not properly manage the personal, medical and financial needs of its wards and suggests 43 recommendations to improve Kentucky's guardianship program that is housed in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Recent media coverage leading up to Kentucky's presidential primary repeatedly focused on the state's lack of educational attainment in analyzing how voters were expected to cast their ballots. Whether or not we agree with the conclusions drawn by political commentators, the extensive national coverage drove the point home that we are a chronically undereducated state, reinforcing an image that has historically hampered our economic progress.

The reconciliations performed of city financial activity identified specific discrepancies throughout the period under examination. Ultimately, approximately $21,100 of city funds documented on receipt tickets were not deposited in city bank accounts. The amount of the $21,100 discrepancy was identified as a result of examining documentation the city provided to this office. The discrepancy amount could change should the city determine that additional financial records exist. (See attached letter for more details.)

A report issued today by the Office of State Auditor Crit Luallen says the Kentucky Department of Parks is seeing its net losses growing in spite of hundreds of millions of dollars invested in capital improvements in recent years.

Kentucky Auditor Crit Luallen has released the second volume of the annual statewide audit of the Commonwealth of Kentucky for fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, finding that the state did not comply with federal requirements regarding two programs - the Highway Planning and Construction program and the Highway Safety program.

Through a special examination, the Office of Kentucky Auditor Crit Luallen found that over a 13-month period (January 2007-January 2008) a Kentucky State Reformatory work computer at Kentucky Correctional Industries (KCI) was used in an apparent theft of $6,877 that benefited 21 inmates.

The auditor's office discovered the apparent theft after working with the Kentucky Department of Corrections to examine the agency's inmate payroll processing system. The investigation originated after an anonymous caller used the auditor's public hotline to question KCI inmate labor reimbursements.

Kentucky Auditor Crit Luallen spoke to the Kentucky Magistrates and Commissioners Association during its spring conference, stressing the need for awareness of specific audit findings her office has encountered in recent local government audits.

"As magistrates and commissioners, many times, you may not be aware of problem areas in your counties until we complete your audit," she said. "So you need to understand how these problems arise, what can happen as a result and how you as local officials can help prevent similar problems in your communities."

Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts Crit Luallen has released the first part of the annual statewide audit of the Commonwealth of Kentucky for fiscal year ending June 30, 2007. The audit contains 75 findings that indicate significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls throughout state government. The second part of the audit, to be released in March, focuses on the state's oversight of federal funds.

Kentucky Auditor Crit Luallen spoke to the County Judge/Executive Association winter conference, stressing the need for a strong auditor and a focus on cost-saving initiatives, especially with county jails, during tough financial times.

State Auditor Crit Luallen was sworn in for her second term as Kentucky State Auditor on January 7th, 2008 by former Chief Justice John Palmore. Auditor Luallen pledges to continue to advance the role of the Auditor's Office as the guardian of the taxpayer's trust with the competence and integrity that marked her first term.