ND State Auditor

State Agencies Collect 12,323 Food Items for Thanksgiving

For the fifth consecutive year, the North Dakota State Auditor's Office challenged 15 state agencies to collect food for the Bismarck Emergency Food Pantry and Ministry on the Margins ahead of Thanksgiving 2025. The Department of Labor and Human Rights won the traveling trophy with 11 team members collecting 520 items, while the total collection reached 12,323 food items across all participating agencies. The State Auditor's Office published results on November 20, 2025.

ND PISB Audit Finds Five Areas for Improvement

The North Dakota State Auditor released a legislatively mandated performance audit of the Private Investigative and Security Board (PISB), covering the period January 1, 2019 through June 30, 2025. The audit identified five operational deficiencies: absence of documented policies and procedures, an unmaintained licensee database, manual pocket card issuance consuming over 425 hours annually, insufficient renewal period timeframes, and failure to utilize Attorney General legal services instead of private counsel—resulting in approximately $114 per hour in potential taxpayer savings. The report does not impose any binding compliance obligations on regulated entities.

ND Racing Commission Audit Finds Overspending, Missing Records, and Purchasing Violations

The ND State Auditor's audit of the North Dakota Racing Commission (July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2025) identified four issues of concern. The Commission spent up to 201% more than the legally permitted 25% of its Promotion Fund balance on operating expenses during the four-year period. Of 13 sampled grants totaling $1.8 million awarded, three grants worth $25,500 were paid without any grant applications on file. Itemized expense reports for $7,500 in grants were also unavailable. Two of 12 reviewed Breeder Fund awards totaling $1,957 went to horse owners who failed to provide required ownership-transfer records. Additionally, $63,675 of $590,300 in goods and services procured did not follow state procurement requirements.