Report details failure of agency to create an atmosphere of transparency, accountability of public funds
FRANKFORT, Ky. (December 18, 2018) – Today, Auditor Mike Harmon released the results of a special examination by his office of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) for the past several fiscal years. Auditor Harmon’s office began the examination of KDFWR after receiving a letter from Don Parkinson, Secretary of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet asking for a special examination of the agency, which is part of the cabinet. The report details 11 findings and recommendations for the cabinet and KDFWR leadership.
“The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources promotes the agency receives no General Fund tax dollars. But given that a large portion of their funding comes from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, along with federal grants, which are funded by taxpayers, our exam details the greater need for KDFWR to act in a responsible and transparent fashion in following state laws and regulations when it comes to the use of these dollars,” said Auditor Harmon. “Our exam finds many past and current problems at KDFWR, and that a change in culture is needed.”
In Fiscal Year 2017, KDFWR received more than $70 million in funding. In fiscal year 2016, 57 percent of their revenue came from license sales for fishing and hunting and boating registrations, and 35 percent came from federal tax dollars through grants.
Among the 11 findings detailed in the exam released by Auditor Harmon’s office are:
“In many of the issues we identified, the agency justified expenditures by stating that no taxpayer dollars were used,” Auditor Harmon said. “This type of reasoning is illogical, especially when it comes to the use of public funds. All public funds must be spent in compliance with state and federal law. I thank Secretary Parkinson for requesting we do a special examination, and my office is hopeful the leadership at KDFWR will exercise greater transparency and accountability in the future.”
In response to Auditor Harmon’s examination, Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Don Parkinson said, “Thank you very much for the work of your team. The Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet supports and embraces the general findings and recommendations of this audit, which reinforce our determination that KDFWR’s culture must change, and its transparency, accountability, and responsiveness must dramatically improve.”
The full report, along with the separate Fiscal Year 2017 audit of KDFWR, can be found on the auditor’s website.
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