Quarterly President's Message ALGA-The Voice of Local Government Auditing - Summer 2009
| ALGA-The Voice of Local Government Auditing - Summer 2009 | | Print | |
| Written by Amanda Noble | |
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Thank you to everyone who volunteered to help with our 21st annual conference last month in San Francisco as speakers, moderators, room monitors, and members of the planning committee. ALGA's strength as an organization results from the knowledge, commitment and diversity of its members. Thanks to you, the conference was a great opportunity to get up-to-date information on relevant topics and network with our peers. Thank you also to everyone who attended the conference. We know that training and travel budgets are tight in the current economic climate and really appreciate your support. For those of you who weren't able to attend, we videotaped nine of the sessions and hope to make these available soon on the website. One of ALGA's key objectives is to be the recognized voice for local government auditing. As many of you know, we were invited to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in March to discuss efforts local governments are taking and challenges we face in ensuring transparency and accountability for the use of federal stimulus funds. Following the testimony - ably presented by Jerry Heer - Chairman Towns introduced legislation to allow state and local governments to set aside a portion of their stimulus funds for auditing, contract and grant management, data collection, and investigations of waste and fraud. The bill passed in the House with bipartisan support and is being considered by the Senate. We've also been invited to represent local government auditors on bi-weekly conference calls with representatives of the GAO, federal Inspectors General and the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board to coordinate accountability efforts going forward. NASACT is sponsoring the calls to provide a venue for dialog on ARRA related issues. Jay Poole and I participated in the first conference call May 27th and will continue to participate and update members through the website and other communication. I encourage you all to participate in the Stimulus Auditing thread on the ALGA website roundtable. This new feature will allow us to discuss issues and post links and documents that will build a searchable record of questions, answers, strategies, and results. You can even be notified be email when someone responds to your comment. I've heard a lot of questions about how local governments are dealing with the administrative burdens of the stimulus funds, what roles ALGA members are fulfilling in overseeing the use of funds and requests for best practices. Let's use our significant networking resources to share what we're learning.
Another of ALGA's key objectives is to provide exceptional, relevant and affordable services to members. We recognize the fiscal challenges local governments are facing and have kept our 2010 membership fees at the same affordable prices that you've paid for the past several years. The Board will continue to work with committees to align tasks and reporting with our updated strategic plan to ensure that we're offering high quality services. In addition, you'll be receiving a membership survey in the fall so we can get your input on what services you need and how to keep the quality high. Finally, ALGA seeks to maximize its effectiveness as an organization by developing and maintaining a consistent, strong internal support system. You can help by volunteering for a committee, writing an article for the Quarterly, participating on the website roundtables, or just dropping us a line when you have an idea. We appreciate the support and look forward to a great year.
Amanda Noble |
