Governor Braun Orders Independent Audit of IEDC
Governor Mike Braun has ordered an independent forensic audit of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and its affiliated entities in the name of transparency for taxpayers.
Braun made the announcement to the press on Thursday. The governor and his commerce Secretary David Adams gave brief statements.
“We have hired or are in the process of hiring a firm to conduct a thorough, independent forensic audit of IEDC and all its affiliated entities,” Adams said.
He said a firm will be hired in the next few weeks and the audit is expected to take six to 12 months. The IEDC’s funds to support ventures are frozen and the agency’s funds will pay for the audit, Adams said.
Braun’s statement focused on transparency in the government, which the IEDC has been accused of lacking before, specifically when it acquired over 9,000 acres of farmland in Boone County for the LEAP industrial district without notifying local government officials.
“Transparency is essential. It is essential for good government. It is what taxpayers deserve,” Braun said during the press conference. “Where we have found impropriety or even the appearance of it, we have reported it to the inspector general. We are not rushing to conclusions. We want to make sure things are reviewed independently. Only then will we take any and all appropriate action.”