The Office of the Governor is among the four government entities that failed to submit the mandated citizen-centric report (CCR) in 2015 and 2016, according to the Office of Public Accountability's audit released on Sunday.
Other noncompliant agencies Department of Agriculture, Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities and Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense.
Under the law, government of Guam entities are mandated to submit a four-page CCR to ensure that the government provides more readily available and understandable financial data to the people of Guam.
“As of Dec. 7, 2017, our audit of the FY 2016 and FY 2015 CCR submissions by GovGuam entities indicated that at least 89 percent of the 57 entities issued an annual CCR,” OPA said.
OPA noted a slight increase in CCR compliance. Its last audit on the submission of citizen centric reports for FY 2014 and FY 2013 found that 49 (or 86 percent) out of 57 GovGuam entities issued an FY 2014 CCR.
The citizen-centric government reporting initiative is intended to foster innovative means of communication between governments and their citizenry, according to the Association of Government Auditors.
“AGA believes that government financial information should be provided to citizens in forms that are clear and understandable, updated regularly and often, delivered to all, easy to locate, honest in breadth and technically accurate in detail. In fact, as the owners of government, citizens have a right to this information,” the group stated on its website.
AGA believes that these reports will make governments more accountable to their citizens, and will help Americans become better educated and better able to participate in government activities.