State makes audits easier to find, understand

(The Center Square) — The Pennsylvania auditor announced a website update on Wednesday to make audit reports and public information easier to find and understand.

“It’s now easier than ever to search our site for information on audits, jobs, (volunteer firefighter relief associations), municipal pension plans, and more,” Auditor General Timothy DeFoor said in a press release . “This is another step we’re taking to transform and modernize our department.”

The upgrade comes as the office has released dozens of audits over the summer.

“Our new, dynamic website was designed with Pennsylvania taxpayers in mind,” DeFoor said. “We all need to know how our tax dollars are being spent to be able to hold state and county government accountable. This website offers a variety of new tools and resources to make it easier than ever to find an audit and understand the impact it has on your community.”

The agency releases 4,000 audits annually and has more than 50,000 available online. Now, the public can find audits through a clickable county map, an updated search function, and open job listings in the department.

In August, the auditor released 36 audits for VFRAs across 24 counties and 43 audits of municipal and police pension plans across 15 counties in July.

While most audits don’t find criminal behavior or dramatic errors, they tend to find underpayments and overpayments of state aid for city pensions. Municipal officials tend to blame sloppy paperwork, staff turnover, and misinterpretations of the law for the mistakes.