Welcome, Indiana County Auditors!

Our fall, 2017 conference was held Oct. 17-20 in Indianapolis, bringing together county auditors from throughout Indiana for four days of education and training. Agenda topics included internal controls, tax deductions, the SBOA chart of accounts, settlement, pension and other payroll matters. The conference culminated with the Indiana Auditor's Association meeting and election of officers for 2018. You may view the meeting minutes and Treasurer's report under the "Association Business" tab. For the full conference agenda, click here: Fall, 2017 Agenda.

Some highlights from the conference are posted below.

Friday, Oct. 20, 2017

SBOA Director of County Services Shannon Lopez and Lori Rogers led the Friday Q & A with county auditors.

Legislative Committee Chair Dan Bastin of Morgan County addresses the Auditor Association's legislative priorities for the upcoming Indiana General Assembly. The initiatives include proposed changes affecting tax deeds, tax sales, TIFs, and tax deductions.

Attorney Mark Palmer, who will serve as the Association's lobbyist, outlines legislative priorities and the upcoming short session of the Indiana General Assembly.

Patty holds up a gift donated by a county auditor as Pauline announces the recipient.

2018 Association Officers (from left to right): Secretary, Jennifer Flater of Clay County; Treasurer, Vicki Urbanik of Porter County; Vice-President, Julie Fox of Marshall County; President-Elect, Patty Ball of Daviess County; President, Pauline Graff of Elkhart County.

Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017

Today's conference opened with a well-deserved recognition of Association President-Elect Pauline Graff. Vice-President Patty Ball announced that Pauline was named Auditor of the Year by the Association of Indiana Counties at the AIC conference in September. Pauline said the award was the greatest honor she has ever received.

Patty announces Pauline's award with Lori Rogers.

Pauline accepting her award at the AIC conference.

Other conference topics during the day included an overview of the state's chart of accounts, human resource issues, proper receipting processes, tax deductions, and a major upcoming change in tax abstracts.

Department of Revenue Commissioner Adam Krupp addresses changes at the DOR.

Mitch Ripley of HR Unlimited Resources addresses a variety of human resource issues.

Lori Rogers, CPA, SBOA Director of County Services, addresses the chart of accounts and home-rule funds.

Shannon Lopez, CPA, SBOA Director of County Services, outlines changes to the 17-T form and proper receipting methods.

DLGF Deputy Commissioner Matt Parkinson, CPA, speaks on tax deductions.

DLGF Budget Director Fred Van Dorp outlines how the tax abstract will now be submitted via Gateway, beginning in 2018.

Thursday's conference culminated with the evening entertainment: Wine and Canvas, at which county auditors got to showcase their artistic talents by painting a snowman. Here are some scenes from the event, beginning with photos of auditors getting ready with their blank canvases to putting on the finishing touches to their masterpieces.

Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017

The fall, 2017 State Board of Accounts-called conference opens.

DLGF Commissioner Wesley Bennett gives introductory remarks.

State Board of Accounts State Examiners Paul Joyce, Tammy White, and Michael Bozymski

Indiana Auditor of State Tera Klutz, with Shannon Lopez and Lori Rogers, SBOA Directors of County Services

Auditor Association President-Elect Pauline Graff leads a moment of silence in memory of Caroll County Auditor Tom Gray

Auditor of State Tera Klutz addresses the statute on business personal property tax exemptions and the local service fee.

        

Courtney Everett, Deputy Auditor of Accounting & Finance at AOS, addresses settlement. (And had us do the wave!)

Kevin Marshall, Retirement Services Consultant, speaks on the role of INPRS and its benefits.

Prevention = Good Internal Controls: Mark Mahon, Director of Special Investigations with the SBOA, addresses fraud and other criminal activity and how good internal control procedures can prevent mismanagement of public assets.

Matthew Stevenson, Master Detective with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, gives a presentation on sovereign citizens and how they are now ranked by the FBI as the number one domestic terrorist threat.

Tamytha Cooper, Reconciliation Manager with the BMV addresses the BMV's FTP site.

Tyler Michael of SBOA outlines changes in state law regarding audits and the upcoming corrective action plans.

Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017

Registration for the fall, 2017 conference opens.

Auditor Association Officers are ready for conference.

Association Treasurer Julie Fox (seated) checks in Wells County Auditor Beth Davis and staff.

Welcome, Boone County Auditor Heather Myers and staff!

Welcome, Perry County Auditor Pam Goffinet and staff!

Education Session: Internal Controls

Internal control is a process executed by management and staff designed to provide reasonable assurance that an entity is meeting its objectives in financial reporting, compliance, and effectiveness and efficiency of operations. Do we have effective internal controls in our counties and, in particular, in our County Auditor's offices? Are we in compliance with I.C. 5-11-1-27, Indiana's law requiring adoption of internal control policies and procedures as well as training for staff?

To help address these vital questions, the Education Committee presented a program on internal controls. The speaker was Dan Hedden, a CPA from Umbaugh, who reviewed the state statute, internal control components and principles, sample control procedures, and compliance issues.

Dan Hedden from Umbaugh speaks on internal control.

Monday, Oct. 16, 2017

The Indiana Auditor Association's officers held a pre-conference planning meeting. We also had the opportunity to meet with the new Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, Wesley Bennett. Among the many topics discussed at this meeting was the very relevant topic of continuing education and training for county auditors.

From left to right: Association Vice-President Patty Ball of Daviess County, Association Secretary Vicki Urbanik of Porter County, DLGF Commissioner Wesley Bennett, Association Past-President Gayle Pennington of Dearborn County, and Association President-Elect Pauline Graff of Elkhart County.

Auditors' Fall Conference

Hello, Auditors!

Our fall, 2017 conference is fast approaching. This fall's conference will be Tuesday, Oct. 17 through Friday, Oct. 20 at the Sheraton Keystone Crossing in Indianapolis.

For the State Board of Accounts' call letter and draft agenda, click here: Fall, 2017 Draft Agenda

For the registration form, click here: Fall, 2017 Conference Registration Form

For the vendor registration form, click here: Fall, 2017 Vendor Registration Form

A personalized website has been set up for the hotel. To make reservations, click on the following: Sheraton at Keystone Crossing

We urge you to make your hotel reservations as soon as possible!

Our conference will kick off with a Tuesday educational session on Internal Controls. See below for more details.


Registration Forms & Fees

Send your registration to Marshall County Auditor Julie Fox on or before Sept. 29.
You may email, or fax your registration to the following:

Email:  julief@co.marshall.in.us
Fax: 574-936-4683

Submit registration fees by Oct. 9. Make checks payable to: Indiana County Auditors' Association

Mail your registration fees to:

Indiana County Auditors' Association
c/o Julie A. Fox, Marshall County Auditor
Indiana County Auditors' Association Treasurer
112 W. Jefferson, Room 205
Plymouth, IN 46563

Please let us know on your registration form how many will be attending the following events:

• Tuesday afternoon education session
• Thursday evening dinner
• Thursday evening event: Wine & Canvas
• Friday morning breakfast

Hotel info

Check-in is Tuesday, Oct. 17. Check-out is Friday, Oct. 20

Special room rates will be available through Sept. 25

Mail tax-exempt certificates to the hotel at least 30 days in advance of the event.

Education Session: Internal Controls

The topic for the Tuesday afternoon education session will be internal control. The presenter will be Dan Hedden, CPA, from Umbaugh. Hedden joined Umbaugh in 1996 and is a graduate of Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis with degrees in accounting and finances. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Indiana CPA Society, the Association of Government Accountants, and the American Water Works Association. He will address the internal control responsibilities we have as county auditors. Following his presentation will be a Q&A session.

Conference Materials & Resources

The State Board of Accounts plans to post conference materials on its website the week before the conference for auditors to download and/or print.

The SBOA will have its resource tables available on Oct. 18 and 19. County auditors should bring detailed information on any questions or issues they have in order for the resource tables to provide assistance. Any questions for the SBOA leading up to the conference should be emailed to: Counties@sboa.in.gov

Auditor Badges

County Auditors and their deputies are reminded to wear their Auditor Association badge at the conference. Our magnetic badges not only help us get to know each other, but also they eliminate the need for the Association to buy temporary, paper badges.

If you don't already have a badge or need to order a new one, click here for the order form: Badge Form


Thank you, and see you in October!
 

Auditors' Fall Conference, 2017

Welcome, Indiana County Auditors!

Mark your calendars: The fall, 2017 conference will be held Oct. 17-20 at Sheraton Indianapolis Keystone Crossing.

Conference information will be posted soon. Please check back later for details.

REMINDER: If you and/or your staff members need an Auditor Association Badge, you can place an order by using the order form located on the right side of this page or by clicking on the following link: Auditor Badge Order Form

Spring, 2017 Conference

Our spring, 2017 conference was held at Crowne Plaza--Union Station in Indianapolis from May 23-26.

Video presentations from the conference are now available; go to the Videos tab to review.
Below is a photo gallery from the spring, 2017 conference.

Monday, May 22

Pre-conference kick-off: To help prepare for a successful conference, the officers of the Indiana Auditors' Association held a planning meeting on Monday and again on Tuesday morning. Shown here are (left to right, standing) Past-President Gayle Pennington of Dearborn County, President-Elect Pauline Graff of Elkhart County, Treasurer Julie Fox of Marshall County, (kneeling, center) Secretary Vicki Urbanik of Porter County, and (kneeling, front) Vice-President Patty Ball of Daviess County.

Tuesday, May 23

President-Elect Pauline Graff, Elkhart County Auditor, gets ready for auditor and vendor registration.

Treasurer Julie Fox, Marshall County Auditor (seated), works the registration table and checks in Hancock County Auditor Robin Lowder and her staff. 

Welcome, Ohio County Auditor's Office! Treasurer Julie Fox greets Ohio County Auditor Deb Cappel and her staff.

The conference kicked off with an educational session organized by Vice-President Patty Ball. Morgan County Auditor Dan Bastin, Legislative Committee Chair, gives a presentation on web resources for county auditors, including tips on how to access the Indiana Code.

Panel Q&A: The educational session continued with a panel discussion with questions posed by county auditors. The topics covered a wide array of issues that we deal with everyday, from state audits to appropriations to splits and deductions. Panelists were (left to right) Dan Bastin of Morgan County, Gayle Pennington of Dearborn County, Vicki Urbanik of Porter County, moderator Patty Ball of Daviess County, Jennifer Flater of Clay County, Debbie Stevens of Warrick County, Kay Myers of LaGrange County, and Nick Jordan of Allen County.

Wednesday, May 24

The State Board of Accounts conference gets underway in the Grand Hall at Union Station.

In opening remarks, Indiana Auditor of State Tera Klutz addresses new initiatives in her office. Also giving opening remarks were (left to right, seated) State Examiner Paul Joyce, State Board of Accounts Director of County Services Lori Rogers, and Association President-Elect Pauline Graff.

Indiana Department of Local Government Finance Commissioner Courtney Schaafsma reviews new legislation of importance to county auditors.

Wednesday evening entertainment: Casino night at Union Station

Thursday, May 25

Indiana Commissioner of Labor Rick Ruble kicks off another full day with a review of labor laws and employment issues.

 Indiana State Board of Accounts Director of County Services Lori Rogers outlines new legislation.

From left to right: Association secretary Vicki Urbanik of Porter County, Association Vice-President Patty Ball of Daviess County, Indiana Auditor of State (and former Association officer and County Auditor) Tera Klutz, Association President-Elect Pauline Graff of Elkhart County, and Association Treasurer Julie Fox of Marshall County.

Thursday evening entertainment: Karaoke and line dancing

 

Friday, May 26

 At the Friday morning Q & A, Lori Rogers of the State Board of Accounts answers a wide array of questions submitted by the county auditors. Topics included advertising requirements, proper grant accounting, and county expenditures on meals and personal expenses.

The spring conference concludes with the Indiana Auditor Association meeting.

See you at the fall conference, Oct. 17-20, in Indianapolis.