Auditor’s Office honored for ‘citizen-centric reports

The Association of Government Accountants has recognized the Kaua‘i County Auditor’s Office with a certificate of achievement in citizen-centric reporting.

The organization noted that the auditor’s citizen-centric report provides good, easy to understand information on how the county is performing financially.

“We dedicated resources as part of our commitment to government accountability and transparency, and appreciate AGA’s recognition,” said county auditor Ernesto Pasion.

The certificate is issued to government organizations for the publication of a report that communicates financial information about the county and community information, according to a county announcement.

Among the criteria for which the county auditor was honored, are its reports presented in a visually appealing and understandable four-page document that demonstrates accountability and transparency to the citizens.

The four-page reports to citizens follows a national citizen-centric initiative model that is being applied by municipal, county and state governments to simplify reports and include easy-to-read charts.

Pasion stated in previous articles that the citizen-centric model demystifies technical information in the county’s comprehensive annual financial report, which is around 150 pages in length. The actual report offers more detail, but the mini-report highlights key areas to help people understand significant data at a glance.

Reports have looked at Kaua‘i County Fire Department response times, the county’s Public Works Department issuance of permits, the Kilauea Gym construction and renovation, county fuel and fuel card accountability, and tax revenues.

The reports for the fiscal years ending 2010 and 2011 are available on the auditor’s website, www.kauai.gov/auditor.