State auditor office recognizes Thurston County as 'outstanding example' of 'good stewards of funds, public trust'

The Office of the Washington State Auditor recognized Thurston County as an "outstanding example of commitment to making government work better."

Washington State Auditor Pat McCarthy and her staff personally attended the Board of County Commissioners meeting on August 29 to read the letter of recognition in front of the board and the county staff.

"We don't do these stewardship awards to many entities across the State of Washington – over the course of a few years that we've been doing them," said McCarthy. "You're in a very elite group of people as a county."

McCarthy said the Office of the State Auditor and the staff of Thurston County work hand-in-hand in ensuring that all the public employees are good stewards of funds and public trust.

The state auditor added that throughout their history of working, Thurston County staff consistently demonstrated a culture of accountability to create efficient and effective government.

"The county demonstrates a strong tone at the top for protecting and safe handling of public resources," said McCarthy as she recognized Thurston's Internal Auditor, Brandon Weber, who reports to County Auditor Mary Hall and County Manager Ramiro Chavez.

Brandon has been instrumental in helping the county identify processes to improve and effectively track funds during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to McCarthy.

McCarthy also recognized the work of Thurston's Financial Services Manager, Darren Bennet, for consistently ensuring that the county is organized, prepared, and responsive throughout the audit process.

McCarthy added that since they have been doing the awards since 2015, not more than five counties in the state have been recognized with such distinction.

In May, the county also received the "Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting" from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).

Chavez said the award was the "highest form of recognition in government accounting and financial reporting."