Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand visited Washington’s Central Park Thursday as part of his yearly trip to visit all counties in the state. With many stops still left on this year’s tour Sand shares why he continues to put effort and time into stopping at every county, “It’s just accountability. People should have an opportunity to sort of poke their elected officials with a stick and see what comes out. It’s helpful for me to learn about what’s going on in communities across the state because occasionally, we have people alert me to issues that we then investigate at the auditor’s office. And on top of that maybe we learn innovations, money saving ideas that we can add to our PIE program, Public Innovations and Efficiencies.”

The PIE Program is a checklist that serves as a framework to help state and local governments increase efficiency and communicate with the public about their efforts. Around 10 people attended Sand’s visit including Washington County Public Health staff and Washington and Louisa County Mental Health and Disability Services Director Bobbie Wulf. Topics discussed included affordable housing and child care, wages for child care workers and the American Rescue Plan.