This week, State Auditor Shad White and Attorney General Lynn Fitch each announced they would request approximately $1 million less for each of their annual budgets.

In testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Wednesday, AG Fitch said, “As you know, we have requested an overall decrease in funding for this year of nearly one million dollars. We take our responsibility to be prudent stewards of the taxpaying public’s dollars as seriously as we take our responsibilities for upholding law and order, defending the State’s laws and Constitution, and securing justice for criminal acts.”

“In reviewing our mission, programs, and staffing requirements,” said Fitch, “we believe we can achieve our goals with an overall budget that is $902,532 smaller than our Fiscal Year 2025 budget.”

“I have repeatedly encouraged other state agencies to save money when possible and operate more like a family, cutting fat and storing money for the future,” said White Tuesday. “My team and I have done exactly that over the last six years in the State Auditor’s office, and after careful review, it has given us the ability to return money to the taxpayers with no change to our capabilities as an office.”

By saving money accrued from audit fees the office must collect from the federal government and local governments, the Office of the State Auditor has reduced its need for general fund dollars over White’s tenure. If the legislature reduces the office’s budget by $1 million, it will not result in a staff reduction or discontinuing any audit or investigation work.

“My team and I have proven we are capable managers of this agency,” said White. “We have recovered more money in the last six years than any other six-year period in the history of the state and identified hundreds of millions of dollars of waste in other parts of government. I know it’s unusual for a state agency head to volunteer to have his budget cut, but every executive in charge of a government agency should be looking for ways to return money to taxpayers.”

White also stated he hoped the legislature would use the additional $1 million in general funds to put money into teacher salaries, salaries for law enforcement officers, or a tax cut for taxpayers.