LIHU‘E — With a full staff of five now in place at his office, Kaua‘i County Auditor Ernesto Pasion is tackling a long list of projects that delve into the heart of the county’s budget and practices.
“We’ve had 2 1⁄2 years in operation, and it took a year to get organized,” Pasion said Thursday morning during a Lihu‘e Business Association meeting.
Upcoming auditor’s reports include the impacts of the county’s furloughs, hiring freeze, cash management and fuel consumption, as well as audits of the Kekaha Landfill, Solid Waste Department overtime and sick leave, the Kaiakea Fire Station, permit conditions and road maintenance.
Pasion said the audit of the fiscal effectiveness of the county’s furloughs should be ready by the end of the current fiscal year on June 30.
The creation of the Office of the County Auditor is the result of an amendment to the County Charter introduced by Kaua‘i County councilman Jay Furfaro and passed by voters in 2008.
In September 2009, Pasion, formerly the county clerk, was appointed to head the first Office of the County Auditor on Kaua‘i.
After his appointment, Pasion struggled to produce audits while at the same time create the new office, implement its budget and bring on staff members.
“When I first started, I was doing everything on my own,” Pasion said. “If the phone rang, I had to answer it. If there was a meeting, I had to attend. It made it difficult to do the things that needed to be done.”
The Office of the County Auditor, located in the Hale Pumehana Building on Akahi Street in Lihu‘e, is now running more smoothly with its five-member team and a budget of $1.36 million for fiscal year 2012.
“Half of the budget is for external services,” he said, such as investigators or engineers needed for specialized analysis beyond the scope of an auditor, for example.
Recent reports released by Pasion’s office include a follow-up audit of the county’s Building Division and energy audit. The energy audit examined the county’s electricity usage, revealing areas of waste and recommendations for efficiency.
For example, the audit states that despite furloughs the county paid $1.3 million more for electricity in 2010 than in 2009, with both usage and rates rising.
It provided numerous ways in which the county could cut costs, such as making departments responsible for usage and changes in inefficient lighting systems.
The county auditor accepts recommendations from the community for audits. A Planning Department audit was the result of such a recommendation, Pasion said. The office can be reached at 241-4177.
Pasion also encourages the community to contact the county council with audit recommendations because the county, through approval by the council, must provided the funding, he said.
The Lihu‘e Business Association meets at 7:30 a.m. the fourth Thursday of each month at Duke’s Canoe Club at Kalapaki Beach. Each meeting features a different community speaker and topic for discussion. The public is welcome. Association membership is encouraged, but not required. For more information, call Pat Griffin at 639-1019 or email lba96766@yahoo.com.
