Iowa auditor: No irregularities in Iowa budgeting
January 6th, 2018 by Ric Hanson
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s top auditor says she found no evidence of irregularities in Iowa’s budgeting when tax revenues came in higher than expected last year. Auditor Mary Mosiman provided the information in a letter made public Friday, after Democratic Rep. Chris Hall requested a review of the state’s books for the budget year that ended in June.
Data at one point showed incoming revenue for Iowa’s roughly $7.2 billion state budget could end up below projections by about $100 million, requiring a special session. Revenue officials later said final tax collections greatly reduced the estimated shortfall. Hall challenged those figures.
Gov. Kim Reynolds later transferred $13 million from an emergency fund and avoided a special session. Hall has separately challenged the legality of the transfer in a lawsuit, which Reynolds says is politically motivated. Hall says he’s reviewing Mosiman’s analysis.