The joint committee approved targeted staffing and classification changes requested to address persistent delays in the State Comptroller’s annual comprehensive financial report (ACFR).

Why it matters: Timely ACFR publication is central to budget planning, federal reporting and credit‑rating transparency. Committee members said delays since FY2020 have raised risks for audits and financing decisions.

What the committee approved
- The committees approved Budget Amendment A253861130, which provides $489,000 in general‑fund appropriations over the 2025–27 biennium to establish a new unclassified deputy controller for financial reporting and to fund two reclassifications intended to increase review capacity and oversight for financial reporting.
- Separately, the committees approved adding one accountant‑to‑act‑for position (the option labeled “A” in staff materials) at a total projected cost of $303,341 over the biennium to add an additional level of review for the ACFR. The committees declined larger staffing packages B, C and D that were presented as alternatives during the hearing.

Staff context and reasons
LCB fiscal staff, represented by James Malone, said the controller’s office attributes delays to pandemic‑era staffing shortages, turnover of experienced personnel, system constraints and new Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) requirements. Staff also reported the office has contracted temporary accounting expertise and engaged auditors to help, but the committee concluded that a focused set of reclassifications and one new unclassified deputy position was the most appropriate immediate remedy.

Next steps
The funding approvals are subject to standard classification review by the Division of Human Resource Management where required. The controller’s office will use the added staff to increase review capacity and to work with auditors with the aim of restoring more timely ACFR publication.