Columbus – Contracting with the county Sheriff’s office for dispatch services and bringing health insurance and staffing in line with peers are among more than $1.3 million in potential annual savings available to the City of Findlay (Hancock County), according to a performance audit released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

“One of the big themes here is shared services,” Auditor Yost said. “There are opportunities to compare what the city does with what other nearby governments do, and then leverage that into savings for everybody.”

The potential savings in the audit amount to approximately 5 percent of the city’s 2012 budget. Other savings identified in the audit include consolidating the city and county boards of health, implementing a fuel conservation policy and negotiating changes to the city’s collective bargaining agreements.

The report commended the city for its budgeting process, including providing budget information to stakeholders, seeking broad input from city departments, and maintaining current financial forecasts.

The report also suggested that the city study whether the city airport could share costs with the nearby Bluffton airport, such as maintenance and fuel purchases.

A full copy of this audit can be found online.

 
The Auditor of State is one of five independently elected statewide offices under the Ohio Constitution. Auditor Yost’s office is responsible for auditing over 5,600 state and local government agencies. Staff also works in partnership with state and local governments to deal effectively with financial, accounting and budgetary issues.

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