Columbus – The following statement may be attributed to Auditor of State Dave Yost concerning the Ohio House of Representatives’ passage of House Bill 5:

“We all want to make our money stretch as far as it can – especially in government, when we’re talking about spending the public’s hard-earned dollars,” Auditor Yost said. “We need maximum efficiency, and House Bill 5 will remove roadblocks to equipment sharing and provide a valuable tool for local governments to study the potential for cost savings. I’d like to thank Representatives Koehler and Kunze for their leadership on this important piece of legislation.”

House Bill 5, which was approved by the Senate 30-0 last week, allows state agencies and local governments to request feasibility studies from the Auditor of State’s office to find ways to share services or facilities to achieve greater efficiency. The bill also allows for the risk of loss to pass to the borrowing entity in a shared services agreement.

More information about House Bill 5 is available here.

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The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,800 state and local government agencies.  Under the direction of Auditor Dave Yost, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies and promotes transparency in government.

Contact:
Ben Marrison
Director of Communications
614-644-1111