VOTE411 Voter Guide

The auditor must wear many hats. The following attempts to categorize the most important duties of the office. The auditor serves as a secretary to the board of county commissioners and the clerk to the county council.The auditor has responsibility for keeping accounts and issuing checks for the county. As a result, the board of commissioners, the council and other officials often look to the auditor for day-to-day operational assistance, information and advice.The auditor is directly responsible for preparing tax duplicates that show the value of property and taxes assessed against each taxpayer.After taxes are collected by the treasurer, the auditor distributes them to the governmental units for which they were collected. As a part of the tax function, the auditor must also prepare plats that show the ownership and assessed valuation of each parcel in each township in the county. The plats must contain information prescribed by the Department of Local Government Finance and must be kept current.In keeping accounts and issuing warrants, the auditor must develop financial analysis and cash flow projections and assist with budget preparations. The auditor is the principal financial officer in county government and is defined under IC 36-2-9-2 as the fiscal officer of the county.The county auditor must also prepare and file an annual financial report with the State Board of Accounts.Term: 4 years-- 2 terms or 8 years of service in a period of 12 yearsSalary: $75,189 per year