Frequently Asked Questions About the County Auditor

No. The County Auditor is an independently elected official accountable to the voters of DuPage County. While the Finance Department is responsible for maintaining the County's accounting and budget records, the County Auditor provides an independent evaluation of how and where County money is spent, and how efficiently County operations are run.

Does the County Auditor maintain the County's accounting and budget records?

In Illinois counties with a population of 275,000 or less, the county auditor is also the county's general accountant, but in larger counties, including DuPage County, this function is performed by another department. Since the County Auditor does not maintain the accounting and budget records, he can provide an independent evaluation of those records.

Does the County Auditor audit the County's annual financial report?

No. DuPage County's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) is produced by the Finance Department and is audited by a private firm of Certified Public Accountants.

Does the County Auditor audit local taxing bodies in DuPage County, or businesses that operate in the County?

The County Auditor is responsible for auditing the records, operations, and resources of DuPage County officers and departments. There are many other taxing bodies within the borders of DuPage County, such as the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, municipalities, townships, school districts, and other special districts. These bodies are separate and distinct from DuPage County government, and the County Auditor does not audit them. Nor does the County Auditor audit private businesses operating in DuPage County. In some cases, the County Auditor may audit records maintained by businesses providing goods or services to the County, when the amounts billed to the County are based on actual costs or reimbursement of out of pocket costs incurred by the business. In these cases, the records that the County Auditor may audit are limited to those supporting the amounts billed to the County.

What does the County Auditor do that is different than what other offices or departments do?

• The County Auditor audits all bills to be paid by the County that have been processed by the Finance Department, and recommends to the County Board the payment or rejection of the bills. 

• The County Auditor is the only office that performs independent audits of County systems and operations. These audits evaluate how County resources are handled, recorded, and used, so that resources are protected from loss or misuse; determine whether procedures comply with policy decisions made by the County Board and with State and Federal law; and recommend operating improvements to County management. Reports of the audit results are presented to the County Board and to the management of the audited department.

• The County Auditor investigates confidential allegations of waste and misuse of County resources.

• The County Auditor prepares the only quarterly report of County finances readily available to DuPage County citizens.

Where can I get a copy of an audit report or the quarterly report?

Call the Office of the County Auditor at (630) 407-6075 between 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. on business days, and we'll be happy to send you a copy. Quarterly reports are also available online.  A list of recent audit reports is available online.

What standards does the County Auditor use in performing audits of County operations?

While Illinois statutes do not prescribe standards to be used in performing audits, the County Auditor voluntarily complies with the Government Auditing Standards published by the Comptroller General of the United States.

How much is the annual budget for the County Auditor?

With a Fiscal Year 2009 appropriation of $478,517, less than fifty cents a year for each DuPage County resident goes to fund the operations of the County Auditor.

What should I do if I suspect that County resources are being wasted or misused?

Please call the AUDIT HOTLINE 630-75-AUDIT, or send an email to audithotline@dupageco.org. You needn't leave your name. If you can be specific about the suspected waste or misuse it will greatly increase the chance that we can confirm it. All information will be held in the strictest confidence.