Campaign statement from Sam Locke, Democrat candidate for Indiana State Auditor:
Locke to unveil four major innovations; proposes deeper payable audits
(October 8, 2010) – Sam Locke, Democratic Candidate for State Auditor, announced today he will unveil four major innovations planned for the office should he be elected by Hoosier voters on November 2nd. The plans will be announced weekly, beginning today. Locke believes that after nearly twenty-four years of one party control, the Auditor’s office should play a more strategic role in widening financial transparency, developing cost saving initiatives, and serving as a watchdog for Hoosier taxpayers.
Locke’s first proposal for innovating the office is the development of a more robust accounts payable and contract recovery audit. A public records request made to the Auditor’s office earlier this year revealed no long-term contract was in place for this service.
Recovery audits are processes used widely in the private sector and recently made a priority by the federal government through the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010. The process, among other things, identifies duplicate payments and detects small-dollar fraud on an ongoing basis.
Locke said, “A third party recovery audit that digs deeper than existing audit requirements will ensure the State is making accurate payments without errors.” He continued, “According to independent recovery audit firms we’ve spoken to, the state could identify as much as $10 million in savings during the first year without costing Hoosiers a single additional cent.”
Looking at historic payment records, recovery auditors scan for payments made erroneously, often in small dollar increments, but adding up to significant savings. Recovery audits also provide insights on areas where internal business processes can be improved.
Locke expressed, “The Auditor’s office would be wasting an immediate opportunity to find savings and prevent additional waste without implementing this type of audit in a more robust fashion. We hope Hoosiers give us the chance to develop these and other programs with the aim of taking a bigger-picture view of how the Auditor’s office can be a leader in creating fiscally conservative management principles. I believe Indiana taxpayers will value this role over rubber-stamp payment processing. ”
For more information on Locke’s campaign, please visit www.lockeforauditor.com.