Auditor's office prepared to go after all special districts' data; won't take no for an answer

LOUISVILLE — State Auditor Adam Edelen is three months into Kentucky’s first comprehensive review of special districts that can collect taxes, and he promised Thursday that the money will being taken in and spent by those quasi-governmental boards will be fully accounted for.

He met with city and county officials at the Governors Local Issues Conference in Louisville and said his office will post online all the details of the special taxing districts, which include fire and sewer district and libraries. And he said he wants all Kentuckians to get in on the taxpayer watchdog act.

Many local officials expressed interested in Edelen’s special audit looking into special districts.

Not all of them are local government entities. One official asked Edelen if he was concerned some special districts would refuse to hand over financial documents if they weren’t governmental organizations.

Edelen said that wouldn’t fly.

Edelen said no one in the state knows the exact number of such special districts. And he said the new site the auditor’s office would set up would answer just about any questions Kentuckians have about those districts. The audit and the site are expected to be completed by the end of the year.