State Auditor leads the fight for a more responsible budgeting process…

April 15, 2003 – ‘Treasury watchdog’ is on the prowl (Des Moines Register)

All anyone needs is five minutes with State Auditor David A. Vaudt to know two things: He is earnest about changing how the governor and the Legislature build the state budget, and he wants Iowa citizens to know how the state’s economy works. The people’s watchdog? Indisputably.

 May 18, 2004 – Iowa State Auditor says finances are off track (Sioux City Journal)

State Auditor David Vaudt warned … that Iowa lawmakers are ignoring big debts they’ve accumulated in recent years, postponing the painful decisions needed to get the state out of a growing financial mess.

February 22, 2005 –Auditor calls Vilsack budget ‘misleading, irresponsible’ (Quad City Times)

Vaudt, a Republican, said the [Governor’s] budget proposal purports to cost $5 billion, but is actually $5.4 billion, an 8.7 percent increase from the current year. He said the difference between the two figures consists of accounting gimmicks, extra Medicaid funding, and salary and benefit increases. “Iowans need to know what our costs for services actually are,” he said.

February 22, 2005 –Auditor says state headed for fiscal trouble (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

Vaudt warned that state policymakers continue to use off-budget reserves to fund ongoing expenses – a practice he compared to a family using its credit cards to balance its checking account…

April 6, 2005 –Listen to the Auditor (Sioux City Journal)

A recognition in Des Moines that Vaudt’s concerns are sound and a commitment to make amends are important first steps. The next steps – taking action – won’t be easy, but they will be better for the state in the long run.

State Auditor challenges corruption in government and gets results…

July 1, 2004 – Audit Targets Cass Sheriff’s Office (Des Moines Register)

State Auditor David Vaudt asked Wednesday for a criminal investigation of financial irregularities in the Cass County Sheriff’s Department.

August 27, 2004 – Barry removal hearing to begin Monday (Atlantic News-Telegraph)

Last month, seven Cass County residents filed petitions asking a judge to remove both [Cass County Attorney Jim] Barry and [Cass County Sheriff Larry] Jones from their respective offices citing allegations raised in a recent investigation by the State Auditor’s office.

September 16, 2004 – Cass prosecutor, sheriff are ousted (Des Moines Register)

Concluding that “justice was for sale,” a judge … forced Cass County’s two highest-ranking law enforcement officials out of office. [The] decision was believed to mark the first time in 30 years that an Iowa county official has been forced from office under an obscure law that allows citizens to take elected officials to court in order to unseat them.

April 5, 2005 –Audit: Ex-professor misspent $141,305 (Des Moines Register)

Former Iowa State University professor Jerry Willis misspent more than $141,305 in federal grant money between September 1999 and November 2003, an investigation by the state auditor concluded Monday.

State Auditor champions the most vulnerable Iowans…

July 16, 2004 - $8,000 gone from state-run home (Des Moines Register)

A state audit has concluded that nearly $8,000 of payroll money disappeared between June 2002 and last December from a state-run home in Glenwood for people with mental retardation.

September 1, 2004 – New Rules Urged for Nursing Homes (Des Moines Register)

[A state audit] calls for tighter regulation of nursing homes, including new efforts to make sure all homes are licensed.