Section 9-1-507 - [Effective 7/1/2024] Examination of books of state institutions, agencies and certain districts and entities; independent audit authorized; guidelines(a) The director of the state department of audit shall: (i) Supervise the books, financial accounts and financial records of all state agencies and institutions, counties, school districts and municipalities within the state;(ii) Repealed by Laws 1993, ch. 75, § 2.(iii) Require state institutions, state agencies, the entities described in W.S. 16-4-125(c), special districts and other entities specified in W.S. 16-12-202(a) and incorporated cities and towns with a population of less than four thousand (4,000) inhabitants to file with the department such reports of the books and accounts of the institution, agency, district or entity as the director deems necessary. The director shall promulgate rules under which special districts and entities described in W.S. 16-4-125(c) or other entities specified in W.S. 16-12-202(a) shall prepare and file an annual report of their books and records with the department of audit. These rules shall apply to special districts which are subject to administration by the courts as provided in subsection (e) of this section. These rules shall provide for different levels of oversight, at the expense of the district, depending upon the higher of the total revenues received or expenditures made by the district during the fiscal year under review subject to the following limitations: (A) At least one million dollars ($1,000,000.00)-an audit by a certified public accountant shall be required;(B) At least one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) but less than one million dollars ($1,000,000.00)-requirements shall be greater than those in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph but less than those in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph. The rules shall provide for more stringent oversight requirements for districts with higher total revenues within this range than the requirements for districts with lower total revenues within this range;(C) Less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) but more than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00)-the only requirements shall be a proof of cash procedure conducted by an independent third party with a certification from two (2) authorized representatives of the district that the proof of cash procedure was performed by the independent third party in accordance with procedures required by the director and that to the best of their knowledge the financial information used was complete and accurate;(D) Twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) or less - the only requirement shall be the annual report of district revenues, expenses and ending cash balance.(iv) Require corrections of faults or erroneous systems of accounting and when necessary instruct county and municipal officers in the proper mode of keeping accounts;(v) Perform an audit or specified procedures of any books and records of any state institution, state agency, incorporated city or town with a population of less than four thousand (4,000) inhabitants or any special district or entity described in W.S. 16-4-125(c) or other entities specified in W.S. 16-12-202(a) whenever the director feels the audit or procedures are necessary. In lieu of performing such audit or procedures, the director may accept an audit or specified procedures performed by a certified public accountant. Specified procedures shall include procedures conducted under one (1) of the following standards: (A) Current government audit standards issued by the United States comptroller general;(B) Generally accepted principles and quality standards formally approved by the Association of Inspectors General;(C) Standards recognized by the Institute of Internal Auditors; or(D) Standards recognized by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.(vi) Conduct performance measure reviews based on the standards developed in W.S. 28-1-115(a)(ii)(A). The director shall determine the means to be used to verify and validate the performance measures. The results of the reviews shall be reported to the agency head, governor and secretary of state;(vii) Require counties, cities, towns and special districts and entities described in W.S. 16-4-125(c) or other entities specified in W.S. 16-12-202(a) in this state to report to the department revenues received and expenditures made each fiscal year. The reports shall be made not later than September 30 for the prior fiscal year. The format of the reports required by this paragraph shall be established by the department of audit by rule. Not later than December 31 of each year, the department shall provide a copy of the report on special districts and entities described in W.S. 16-4-125(c) that receive funding from a municipality as defined by W.S. 16-4-102(a)(xiv) or other entities specified in W.S. 16-12-202(a) under this paragraph to the board of county commissioners for each special district and other entity located in that county;(viii) Beginning 2018, require each special district and other entities specified in W.S. 16-12-202(a) in this state, no matter how formed, except districts created by and subject to administration by the courts, to report to the department and to the county clerk of the county where the special district or other specified entity is located its proposed budget for the next fiscal year. If a special district or other specified entity operates in multiple counties, the special district or other specified entity may post the proposed budget conspicuously on its website or file the proposed budget with each county clerk of the counties in which the special district or other specified entity operates. The report or posting shall be made not later than June 1 of each year. The format of the reports required by this paragraph shall be established by the department of audit by rule no later than December 31, 2017;(ix) In lieu of the rules described in subparagraphs (iii)(A) through (D) of this subsection, fire protection and water and sewer districts shall be required to comply with the rules to provide for different levels of oversight as follows: (A) At least one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) - an audit by a certified public accountant shall be required;(B) At least one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) but less than one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) - requirements shall be greater than those in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph but less than those in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph. The rules shall provide for more stringent oversight requirements for districts with higher total revenues within this range than the requirements for districts with lower total revenues within this range;(C) Less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) but more than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) - the only requirements shall be a proof of cash procedure conducted by an independent third party with a certification from two (2) authorized representatives of the district that the proof of cash procedure was performed by the independent third party in accordance with procedures required by the director and that to the best of their knowledge the financial information used was complete and accurate;(D) Twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) or less - the only requirement shall be the annual report of district revenues, expenses and ending cash balance.(b) Repealed by Laws 1993, ch. 75, § 2.(c) Audit procedures performed on all state agencies, institutions and municipalities as defined in W.S. 16-4-102(a)(xiv) within the state shall be performed in accordance with current government audit standards issued by the United States comptroller general and within the standards for audit of governmental units as promulgated by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.(d) Repealed by Laws 2002, Ch. 26, § 2.(e) The director may waive the oversight requirements of paragraph (a)(iii) of this section for special districts created by and subject to administration by the courts, if the district provides to the director:(i) An annual written request for a waiver within thirty (30) days after the required annual filing of financial information with the court;(ii) A copy, certified by the court, of the receipts and disbursements of the district for the fiscal year for which the waiver is requested;(iii) A copy of the annual budget with the court authorized assessments for the year following the year for which the waiver is requested;(iv) Other information as the director may reasonably require.(f) No state agency or board shall impose requirements for audit procedures to be performed upon any public entity described in subsection (c) of this section which exceed the requirements of subsection (c) of this section unless those requirements have been authorized through rules or regulations promulgated by the director of the department of audit and the state agency or board provides funding for the additional audit requirements.(g) No state agency or board shall require of any recipient of grants or funds, as a condition of receiving the grant or funds, any audit procedures to be performed which exceed the requirements in subsection (c) of this section unless the state agency or board provides funding for the additional audit requirements through a specific amount in the grant of funds, or unless the requirements are specifically authorized by statute. All state agencies and boards shall verify that all applicants and recipients of state grants or loans are in compliance with the applicable reporting requirement under paragraph (a)(vii) of this section as a condition of receiving the grant or loan. For purposes of this section, a state grant or loan shall not be those grants or loans which include any federal funds or monies paid in consideration for services rendered to the state agency or board.(h) The department of audit shall have authority to promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of the audit procedures authorized by this section including, unless otherwise provided, setting the dollar limits at which audits authorized under subsections (f) and (g) of this section are to be performed for governmental entities in this state and any recipient of state funds.(j) The director of the department of audit shall certify:(i) Repealed by Laws 2024, ch. 48,§ 2;(ii) To the director of the state department of revenue by October 5 of each year, a list of counties, cities and towns that failed to comply with paragraph (a)(vii) of this section. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the director of the department of revenue shall withhold monthly disbursements of state and local sales, use and lodging tax revenues under W.S. 39-15-111, 39-15-211, 39-16-111 and 39-16-211 to the noncompliant county, city or town for the period after October 15 until the noncompliant county, city or town has come into compliance unless good cause for noncompliance is shown to the director of the department of audit as described in W.S. 9-1-510(b). All withheld disbursements under this paragraph shall be retained by director of the department of revenue in the account from which the disbursement would be made until the county, city or town is in compliance with paragraph (a)(vii) of this section, or as otherwise provided by law. The director of the department of audit shall certify to the director of the department of revenue when a county, city or town comes into compliance with paragraph (a)(vii) of this section. The director of the department of revenue shall certify monthly to the department of audit, the legislature and the noncompliant county, city or town the amount of disbursements withheld until the noncompliant county, city or town has come into compliance.(iii) Repealed by Laws 2024, ch. 48,§ 2;(iv) To the board of county commissioners and to the special district or entity described in W.S. 16-4-125(c) that receives funding from a municipality as defined by W.S. 16-4-102(a)(xiv) or other entities specified in W.S. 16-12-202(a) by October 5 of each year any special district or other entity in the county, no matter how formed, that failed to comply with paragraph (a)(vii) of this section. If, by November 30 of that same year, the district or other entity has failed to comply with paragraph (a)(vii) of this section, the director of the department of audit shall file notice with the county commissioners, the county treasurer and the county clerk. The county commissioners shall place a public notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the county indicating the special district or other entity is in danger of being dissolved due to failure to comply with the legal reporting requirements. The county commissioners shall assess the special district or other entity the cost of the public notice. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the county treasurer shall withhold any further disbursements of money to the district or other entity until the department certifies to the county treasurer that the district or other entity has complied with all reporting requirements unless good cause for noncompliance is shown to the director of the department of audit as described in W.S. 9-1-510(b) . If the special district or other entity fails to file the required report on or before December 30 of that same year, the county commissioners shall seek to dissolve the special district or other entity in accordance with the process described by W.S. 22-29-401 et seq. This paragraph shall apply in addition to any other provision for dissolution in the principal act for a special district or other entity. The county treasurer shall certify monthly to the department of audit, the legislature and the noncompliant district or entity the amount of disbursements withheld until the noncompliant district or entity has come into compliance.(k) The director of the department of audit shall report on or before December 31 of each year to the governor and the legislature, financial information regarding counties, cities, towns and special districts. The information shall be obtained from the annual reports collected from the required reports in this section and shall be in a form required by the director. The annual reports and the required reports in this section shall be open for public inspection.(m) The director of the department of audit shall have the authority to obtain the financial and criminal background of any employee or employment applicant of the department in accordance with W.S. 7-19-106 and 7-19-201.(n) The director of the department of audit shall have the authority to appoint a public funds administrator who shall serve at the pleasure of the director. The administrator shall have not less than seven (7) years of experience holding all the requirements to practice as a certified public accountant or certified internal auditor. The administrator shall assist the director in his duties to supervise books, financial accounts and financial records of all state agencies and institutions, counties, school districts and municipalities within this state.Amended by Laws 2024, ch. 48,§ 1, 2, eff. 7/1/2024.Amended by Laws 2022 , ch. 76, § 1, eff. 7/1/2022.Amended by Laws 2022 , ch. 40, § 1, eff. 3/9/2022.Amended by Laws 2020 , ch. 87, § 1, eff. 7/1/2020.Amended by Laws 2019 , ch. 184, § 1, eff. 3/8/2019.Amended by Laws 2017 , ch. 62, § 2, eff. 7/1/2017.Amended by Laws 2013 , ch. 45, § 1, eff. 7/1/2013. See Laws 2022 , ch. 40, § 2.This section is set out more than once due to postponed, multiple, or conflicting amendments.