(Columbus) - Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost today challenged Governor Strickland to stop impeding the progress of performance audits of state government. Yost, who recently proposed a plan for the Auditor of State to regularly review government agency performance, said only Governor Strickland seems to still oppose them at every turn.

"The State Senate passed a plan to have the Auditor conduct performance audits on all state agencies, and Auditor Taylor has repeatedly asked for their increased use," said Yost, "but their attempts for reform have been blocked time and again. The fact is that the average return on investment of a performance audit is 15-to-1, and by standing in the way of critical reviews of government services, who knows how many millions of dollars continue to be squandered while we stare into the face of a massive deficit?"

Yost recently chided the Governor for his inappropriate interference with Auditor Taylor's review of the Ohio Lottery.

"But that's not even close to the whole story of how the Governor has gotten in the way," said Yost. "House Bill 119, the budget bill for fiscal years 2008-2009, contained provisions directing the Auditor of State to conduct performance audits in the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. The Governor used his line-item veto to strike down both performance audits. Further, when given performance audit findings of Medicaid that would save the state hundreds of millions of dollars, his administration largely ignored them. That's indefensible."

Last week, after Yost proposed a plan to codify the auditor's authority to conduct performance audits and add provisions to state law to ensure accountability, even David Pepper, Yost's Democratic opponent, broke ranks with his party and sided with Yost. The Columbus Dispatch reported that Pepper agreed with Yost's proposal and urged that authority be added to the Auditor's office. The move was especially surprising since Pepper has typically supported tax increases to fix the budget problems he's faced in his career as both a Cincinnati City Councilman and Hamilton County Commissioner. Yost has signed a no new tax pledge.

"The Senate plan, passed earlier this year, sits idle in the House. Ted should call on his Democratic colleagues to immediately hold hearings on that bill so it can pass yet this year, and the findings of those performance audits can help the next budgeting cycle. I don't understand the Governor's opposition to identifying and fighting fraud, and streamlining inefficient government programs when we know we can do better. That kind of reform should be happening whether we're facing a looming financial crisis or not," Yost added.

"It's time for Ted Strickland to get on board or get out of the way." he concluded.

Facts on Governor Strickland and Performance Audits

• Refused to implement the findings of the Performance Audit, approved for funding in 2006, conducted on Ohio's "complex and unwieldy" Medicaid system. That audit made 109 total recommendations, which would have produced over $403 million in savings to the state, almost none of which has yet been acted upon by the Governor's administration.
• Vetoed funding for Performance Audits of the Department of Mental Health and Department of Drug and Alcohol Addiction Services, approved by the Ohio legislature in the 2008-2009 Budget Bill.
• Appears to be complicit with the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives to block legislation which clarifies and expands the Auditor's authority to conduct Performance Audits. Neither Senate Bill 4, which was passed in January by the Ohio Senate, nor House Bill 65, introduced in March - each of which would grant that very authority to the Auditor - has received a single hearing in the Ohio House.
• Interfered with the Ohio Lottery Performance Audit, demanding it be published prior to its completion.