COMMENTARY | Today’s auditors don’t just account for finances, they also account for outcomes. Local government leaders should look to them as key allies.
Having dedicated most of my public service career to elevating the profession of performance auditing, I was gratified to see recently that it had progressed from a nice idea to a top priority for the current generation of local government auditors.
This focus on “auditing for impact” is a healthy progression toward a more inclusive and results-oriented approach, promoted by an activist brand of practitioners who, in the words of one scholar of the field, “regard the public as their ‘ultimate client.’”
It’s a positive change that has been cultivated, in part, by the Association of Local Government Auditors, or ALGA. And I saw it on display in Seattle last month at the group’s annual conference, especially on the all-female panel I moderated featuring leading auditors from diverse backgrounds, a metamorphosis that is clearly invigorating the profession.
Route Fifty
By Mark Funkhouser
JUNE 6, 2024