The Denver Post:  The dispute that surfaced last week between the state auditor and the board members of the much-loved Great Outdoors Colorado grant program is puzzling, and it has raised the worrisome question of whether the agency has something to hide.

GOCO says that’s not the case; that it simply wishes to clarify a legal question about its autonomy. We’ll have to see what the courts decide. But even if GOCO prevails, we believe it is not in the public’s interest for the board to decline the auditor’s perfectly reasonable request.

Auditor Dianne Ray notes that while the state has regularly engaged in financial audits of GOCO after voters approved it in 1992, the program has never been subject to a performance review. The distinction is important for those who value good government. While a financial review seeks to make sure the numbers add up, a performance review looks into how grants are doled out to make sure nothing is amiss.

As Ray tells us, performance audits are intended to hold government accountable to citizens.

But GOCO’s board has petitioned a Denver District Court judge to block her. The auditor has sued to compel an audit, something the office has never had to do before.

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