Photo caption: Auditor Tera Klutz takes the oath in January at the Statehouse alongside her husband. (Photo courtesy of Auditor’s Office)
By Marissa Meador, IndianaCapitalChronicle
State Auditor Tera Klutz will now be known as the State Comptroller to dispel the common misconception that the job of the state auditor is to audit — which has never really been the case.
The change became official July 1, when House Enrolled Act 1001 took effect. A comptroller, which generally oversees the accounting and financial reporting of an organization, was determined to better represent Klutz’s constitutional role.
“The title of ‘State Comptroller’ provides a more appropriate depiction of the services we provide,” Klutz said in a press release. “We balance the state’s checkbook, distribute tax dollars, provide year-end financial reporting and pay state employees.”
The role of auditing state government, local governments and individual taxpayers falls to the State Board of Accounts and the Department of Revenue. This has generated confusion about what the state auditor actually does, and led Klutz to float the idea during her campaign for the office in 2022.
Although the new title will replace the title of “state auditor” on all contracts, stationary and other means of communication, the change will not invalidate any documents using the original name, according to HEA 1001.
And voters still have to elect an Auditor because Indiana’s Constitution says so: “[t]here shall be elected, by the voters of the state, a Secretary, an Auditor and a Treasurer of State, who shall, severally, hold their offices for four years.” This means the original name will appear on ballots and be used during primary conventions.
Passing legislation to enact the change was simpler than trying to change the state constitution, which requires passage in two successive general assemblies and then must be placed on the ballot for voters to approve. Indiana now joins 19 other states who have a State Comptroller or Controller.
Klutz was first appointed to the office by the governor in 2017 and was elected in 2018 and 2022. She is the first certified public accountant to hold the office.
“We will continue serving Hoosiers as we have for the last six years, and now by updating the title we are clearing up a long-running misconception. The responsibilities of the office haven’t changed – just the title on the door,” Klutz said in the release.
This article originally appeared on Indiana Capital Chronicle.
