MINUTES OF THE
LEGISLATIVE AUDIT SUBCOMMITTEE
Tuesday, May 20, 2025 • 4:00 p.m. • 445 State Capitol


Members Present:
President J. Stuart Adams, Co-chair
Speaker Mike Schultz, Co-chair
Sen. Kirk A. Cullimore
Sen. Luz Escamilla
Rep. Jefferson Moss
Rep. Angela Romero

Staff Present:
Brian J. Dean, Deputy Auditor General
Donna Hernandez, Office Manager
Darin R. Underwood, Deputy Auditor General
Kade R. Minchey, Auditor General

Note: A copy of related materials and an audio recording of the meeting can be found at www.le.utah.gov.
1.Committee Business
President Adams called the meeting to order at 4:16 PM
MOTION:Speaker Schultz made a motion to approve the minutes from the April 15, 2025 meeting.The motion passed with a vote of 4-0-2.
Yeas - 4Nays- 0Abs- 2
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
Sen. K. Cullimore
Rep. J. Moss
2.Audit Report Presentations
Mr. Jesse Martinson, Audit Manager introduced A Performance Audit of Public Schools Construction: Standards and Efficiency (Report #2025-09).
A Performance Audit of Public School Construction Standards and Efficiency (Report # 2025-09)
Mr. Martinson and Mr. Jake Davis, Lead Auditor, presented the findings of the audit.
Mr. Martinson responded to question from President Adams regarding standardizing building plans for similar structures to decrease building costs.
Mr. Martinson and Mr. Davis continued their presentation
Mr. Davis responded to questions from Senator Escamilla regarding: - building codes and the certification process, - public health and safety issues and the consequences of not following the rules, - 5 out of 41 school districts have building officials who are code certified - clarification on code certification processes and approvals.
Mr. Martinson and Mr. Davis continued with the presentation.
Mr. Davis responded to a question from Representative Romero regarding the audit focusing only on newly constructed buildings
Speaker Schultz commented regarding the statutory oversight of construction in schools by Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and whether that oversight should be the responsibility of USBE.
Mr. Davis responded to a question from Speaker Schultz regarding how many projects were done by one construction company, and how many other projects were being done at the same time.
President Adams commented on what the school board in that district would think about one contractor being used for all construction projects.
Representative Moss commented on the need for transparency, and that at is stands now, there is no incentive to get the lowest cost.
President Adams suggested that the Division of Facilities and Construction Directors should compare and come up with a standardized plan for construction bids.
Sen Escamilla commented on oversight and a governing board and if oversight is given to LEAs there should be accountability if something goes wrong.
Mr. Scott Jones, Deputy Superintendent, Utah State Board of Education, responded to the findings of the audit.
Mr. Jones responded to a question from Speaker Schultz about new ways to incentivize architects and reduce overall costs by hiring with a bid price.
Mr. Jones asked a rhetorical question on who decides if things are cost effective and discussed the issues on cost effectiveness.
Mr. Jones responded to a comment from Speaker Schultz regarding how private sector buildings go through a valuation engineering process.
Speaker Schultz commented on making it so that statutorily potential architects have to bid and the bid will go through an evaluation process. The responsibility for costs should be moved from the state to the school districts and hold the school districts accountable for the costs.
MOTION:Speaker Schultz moved to refer A Performance Audit of Public Schools Construction: Standards and Efficiency (Report #2025-09) to the Education Interim Committee as the lead committee and to the Public Education Appropriations Committee as the review committee.The motion passed with a vote of 6-0-0.
Yeas - 6Nays- 0Abs- 0
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. J. Moss
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
3.Audit Report Presentations
A limited Review of Public Education Governance and Metrics (Report 2025-A)
Mr. Kade Minchey, Legislator Auditor General, introduced A Limited Review of Public Education Governance and Metrics (Report #2025-A)
Mr. Minchey and Mr. Tyson Cabulagan, Senior Audit Methodologist, presented the findings of the audit.
MOTION:Speaker Schultz moved to send a copy of A Limited Review of Public Education Governance and Metrics (Report #2025-A) to all LEAs in the state for their consideration.The motion passed with a vote of 6-0-0.
Yeas - 6Nays- 0Abs- 0
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. J. Moss
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
4.OLAG Tracking Reports
Mr. Minchey introduced the Office of the Legislative Auditor General (OLAG) tracking reports
Ms. Leah Blevins, Audit Manager, discussed the recommendation dashboard.
Mr. Minchey commented on the audit follow-up process.
President Adams commented on the data gathered and the efficiency of OLAG.
Mr. Darin Underwood, Deputy General discussed the 2025 General Session Impact Report
2025 General Session Impact
2025 Lead and Review Committee Status Update
President Adams commented that when performance is measured, performance is improved and thanked OLAG for their work.
Speaker Schultz stated that OLAG is well respected for their work in other entities of state and local government
MOTION:Speaker Schultz moved to prioritize a performance audit of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Utah State Courts within the scope of the audit currently being conducted of police departments, county attorneys, and county jails across the state.The motion passed with a vote of 6-0-0.
Yeas - 6Nays- 0Abs- 0
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. J. Moss
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
MOTION:Speaker Schultz moved to adjourn at 5:12 P.M.The motion passed with a vote of 6-0-0.
Yeas - 6Nays- 0Abs- 0
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. J. Moss
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz