Someone once told me, “The Auditor’s Office shouldn’t be political, because math isn’t political.” I couldn’t agree more.
As my time being State Auditor draws to a close, I’m grateful to you for the privilege serving as the state’s Chief Financial Officer. I’ve overseen the office that accounts for all of the state’s funds, pays the state’s employees, pays the state’s bills and distributes funds to local governments all across Indiana. Over the past three years, I’ve focused on making the Auditor’s Office and state government spending more transparent, efficient and accountable than ever before – a truly 21st century government.
A vital tool in our effort is the Indiana Transparency Portal, where you can see how your tax dollars are spent. Indiana’s portal has been ranked among the top three transparency portals in the nation for each of the past three years by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a non-partisan consumer research group. I encourage you to visit Transparency.IN.gov to see for yourself!
The more you know about how your tax dollars are spent, the more accountable your government will be. That’s why, after becoming Auditor, I traveled to all 92 counties. I met with county auditors, local officials and people like you all across our state to seek input and to promote Indiana’s Transparency Portal.
In 2015, we launched our Accounts Payable Paperless Project, eliminating reams of unnecessary paperwork and making processes more efficient for our staff and thousands of people doing business with state agencies. But, more importantly, moving to an electronic payment system will save taxpayers millions of dollars in the future.
I’ve also made it my mission to look at the full picture beyond the dollars and cents. As a female officeholder, I noticed that Indiana law used the phrase, “he shall…” every time the duties of the State Auditor and other statewide elected officials were mentioned. I advocated successfully for legislation to replace this gender-specific language with gender-neutral pronouns. This seemingly simple change sends an empowering message to women—young and old— that in Indiana they can be a part of the success story because they can help write it.
Looking back on the past three years, the mission to make your government function more efficiently and effectively for you is becoming a reality. Thank you for the privilege of serving you as your State Auditor. I look forward to partnering, as your future Lt. Governor, with Governor-elect Eric Holcomb as we take Indiana to the Next Level.
Elected in 2014 as Indiana’s 56th State Auditor, Suzanne Crouch serves as the state’s Chief Financial Officer and administrator of the Indiana Transparency Portal. Prior to becoming State Auditor, Crouch served eight years as the State Representative for House District 78 in Southwest Indiana. In November 2016, she was elected to serve as Indiana’s next Lieutenant Governor.
