Utah commission finds technology, increased audits critical to state’s management

As the culmination of a year-long look at the state of Utah’s operations, the Utah Advisory Commission to Optimize State Government found that many of the state’s existing management and fiscal processes were effectively run. In recommending further ways to improve, the Commission pointed to five areas of “critical” opportunity, including the creation of a statewide Recovery Audit Initiative and by leveraging more technology in education.

Commission vice chairman Fraser Bullock said he was pleased to know that Utah was being run in such an effective manner and that the most immediate savings had already been realized through recent budgeting reforms made by state agencies.

“Our recommendations are focused on the long-term, finding ways to improve processes and set up a construct where Utah taxpayers will recognize significant savings over time,” he said in a statement.

The Commission submitted 56 recommendations that the report estimated would result in nearly $10 million in immediate annual savings. The report focused its long-term recommendations on five areas, including further restructuring of state government, changing state salaries benefits to better reflect private sector practices, leverage technology in education, develop strategic plan to manage prison populations and recidivism, and implement a Statewide Recovery Audit Initiative to combat fraud, waste and abuse in programs like Medicaid.

Governor Herbert said the report was an affirmation of his administration’s work to be a leader in good government management and said he would begin looking at the reports recommendation for adoption in the coming weeks.