Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand visited Knoxville Tuesday as part of his “100 Town Hall Tour.”

The event was held at the Marion County Courthouse Gazebo, where he made himself available to answer any questions that local citizens may have. Sand talked in detail about the Public Innovations and Efficiencies (PIE) program he created in 2019 to help state and local governments increase efficiency and communicate with the public about their efforts. He mentioned how this program saves money for taxpayers.

Sand also voiced his disagreement and frustration with the Senate File 478 bill, which was signed by Governor Kim Reynolds in April. This bill restricts the State Auditor’s office from obtaining certain kinds of personal information during investigations, which reduces Sand’s power in the State of Iowa. 

Multiple times during the town hall Sand stressed the popular Lord’s Prayer quote “Lead us not into temptation” when talking about the importance of oversight in his office. 

“The Auditor’s office at the end of the day is about oversight. Oversight is about deterring people from misusing taxpayer money by helping them understand they will get caught and there will be consequences. That is how we lead others not into temptation and yet we just passed a bill that guts the auditor’s office that makes it harder for us to conduct oversight.” 

Hear more from State Auditor Rob Sand on today’s Let’s Talk Knoxville.