ST. PAUL, Minn. (GRAY) – A recent report from the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor showed 12 findings of noncompliance and internal management issues in the Minnesota Governor’s Office between 2022 and 2024.
The report, released on Nov. 4, shows that Walz’s office had not managed receipts properly, did not properly oversee timesheet approval and completion, had unresolved incorrect holiday payments, had made late payments to vendors, and more.
A summary of the full report can be viewed here.
“I think the auditor gave us some good best practices of things that we need to go forward. The last time the auditor did this was in 2022, and I think even the auditor has learned some things since then,” the governor said about it last week.
A response letter from Walz’s office explains that of the 12 issues, 11 had been resolved. The remaining issue was considered “partially resolved.”
Furthermore, the letter points out that the “review did not find any financial misuse or malfeasance,” and that they’d recently made “strategic employment decisions” to improve the office’s function.
A spokesperson for the governor’s office indicated that nearly half of the issues were resolved before the audit began in July 2022.
Even so, critics of the administration say the findings are indicative of a broader culture of noncompliance.
“After years of allowing fraud to run rampant in state agencies, we’re now seeing that the lack of internal controls and accountability measures extends even to the Governor’s office. Here in Minnesota, accountability starts at the top. It’s time for the Governor to take a hard look at the financial practices within his own office and take responsibility for cleaning up the noncompliance both in his office and across all his agencies.”
“It’s no wonder that when the state is swimming in billions of dollars lost to fraud, Governor Walz can’t even manage the finances of his own office. It has become clear to Minnesotans that the culture of mismanagement and fraud in state government starts with the governor himself. Taxpayers deserve full transparency and accountability, including clear answers about whether any of these funds were used to host campaign events or political activities at the Governor’s Mansion.”
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