Section 117.13 | Recovery of costs of audits of state agencies - public audit expense fund-intrastate - public audit expense fund-local government.
(A) The costs of audits of state agencies shall be recovered by the auditor of state in the following manner:
(1) The costs of all audits of state agencies shall be paid to the auditor of state on statements rendered by the auditor of state. Money so received by the auditor of state shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the public audit expense fund--intrastate, which is hereby created, and shall be used to pay costs related to such audits. The costs of audits of a state agency shall be charged to the state agency being audited. The costs of any assistant auditor, employee, or expert employed pursuant to section 117.09 of the Revised Code called upon to testify in any legal proceedings in regard to any audit, or called upon to review or discuss any matter related to any audit, may be charged to the state agency to which the audit relates.
(2) The auditor of state shall establish by rule rates to be charged to state agencies for recovering the costs of audits of state agencies.
(B) As used in this division, "government auditing standards" means the government auditing standards published by the comptroller general of the United States general accounting office.
(1) Except as provided in divisions (B)(2) and (3) of this section, any costs of an audit of a private institution, association, board, or corporation receiving public money for its use shall be charged to the public office providing the public money in the same manner as costs of an audit of the public office.
(2) If an audit of a private child placing agency or private noncustodial agency receiving public money from a public children services agency for providing child welfare or child protection services sets forth that money has been illegally expended, converted, misappropriated, or is unaccounted for, the costs of the audit shall be charged to the agency being audited in the same manner as costs of an audit of a public office, unless the findings are inconsequential, as defined by government auditing standards.
(3) If such an audit does not set forth that money has been illegally expended, converted, misappropriated, or is unaccounted for or sets forth findings that are inconsequential, as defined by government auditing standards, the costs of the audit shall be charged as follows:
(a) One-third of the costs to the agency being audited;
(b) One-third of the costs to the public children services agency that provided the public money to the agency being audited;
(c) One-third of the costs to the department of job and family services.
(C) The costs of audits of local public offices shall be recovered by the auditor of state in the following manner:
(1) The total amount of compensation paid assistant auditors of state, their expenses, the cost of employees assigned to assist the assistant auditors of state, the cost of experts employed pursuant to section 117.09 of the Revised Code, and the cost of typing, reviewing, and copying reports shall be borne by the public office to which such assistant auditors of state are so assigned. Assistant auditors of state shall be compensated by the taxing district or other public office audited for activities undertaken pursuant to division (B) of section 117.18 and section 117.24 of the Revised Code. The costs of any assistant auditor, employee, or expert employed pursuant to section 117.09 of the Revised Code called upon to testify in any legal proceedings in regard to any audit, or called upon to review or discuss any matter related to any audit, may be charged to the public office to which the audit relates.
(2) The auditor of state shall certify the amount of such compensation, expenses, cost of experts, reviewing, copying, and typing to the fiscal officer of the local public office audited. The fiscal officer of the local public office shall forthwith draw a warrant upon the general fund or other appropriate funds of the local public office to the order of the auditor of state; provided, that the auditor of state is authorized to negotiate with any local public office and, upon agreement between the auditor of state and the local public office, may adopt a schedule for payment of the amount due under this section. Money so received by the auditor of state shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the public audit expense fund--local government, which is hereby created, and shall be used to pay the compensation, expense, cost of experts and employees, reviewing, copying, and typing of reports.
(3) At the conclusion of each audit, or analysis and report made pursuant to section 117.24 of the Revised Code, the auditor of state shall furnish the fiscal officer of the local public office audited a statement showing the total cost of the audit, or of the audit and the analysis and report, and the percentage of the total cost chargeable to each fund audited. The fiscal officer may distribute such total cost to each fund audited in accordance with its percentage of the total cost.
(4) The auditor of state shall provide each local public office a statement or certification of the amount due from the public office for services performed by the auditor of state under this or any other section of the Revised Code, as well as the date upon which payment is due to the auditor of state. Any local public office that does not pay the amount due to the auditor of state by that date may be assessed by the auditor of state for interest from the date upon which the payment is due at the rate per annum prescribed by section 5703.47 of the Revised Code. All interest charges assessed by the auditor of state may be collected in the same manner as audit costs pursuant to division (D) of this section.
(5) The auditor of state shall establish by rule rates to be charged to local public offices for recovering the costs of audits of local public offices.
(D) If the auditor of state fails to receive payment for any amount due, including, but not limited to, fines, fees, and costs, from a public office for services performed under this or any other section of the Revised Code, the auditor of state may seek payment through the office of budget and management. (Amounts due include any amount due to an independent public accountant with whom the auditor has contracted to perform services, all costs and fees associated with participation in the uniform accounting network, and all costs associated with the auditor's provision of local government services.) Upon certification by the auditor of state to the director of budget and management of any such amount due, the director shall withhold from the public office any amount available, up to and including the amount certified as due, from any funds under the director's control that belong to or are lawfully payable or due to the public office. The director shall promptly pay the amount withheld to the auditor of state. If the director determines that no funds due and payable to the public office are available or that insufficient amounts of such funds are available to cover the amount due, the director shall withhold and pay to the auditor of state the amounts available and, in the case of a local public office, certify the remaining amount to the county auditor of the county in which the local public office is located. The county auditor shall withhold from the local public office any amount available, up to and including the amount certified as due, from any funds under the county auditor's control and belonging to or lawfully payable or due to the local public office. The county auditor shall promptly pay any such amount withheld to the auditor of state.
Available Versions of this Section
- June 30, 2011 – House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly [ View June 30, 2011 Version ]
- October 17, 2019 – Amended by House Bill 166 - 133rd General Assembly [ View October 17, 2019 Version ]
- September 30, 2021 – Amended by House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly [ View September 30, 2021 Version ]