Delaware’s official state wildlife animal, the gray fox, has lived in our region for more than 10 million years. The gray fox has adapted to its changing environment to persevere through an incalculable number of challenges.
In this spirit, I have launched a historic new initiative to adapt to the ever-changing world we live in.
Much of the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic has involved flooding the state of Delaware with a massive infusion of money and resources to be used for the needs of residents during this unprecedented period. The strategy included multiple rounds of stimulus payments and more than $1.25 billion in funds for state, county and local entities, courtesy of the American Rescue Plan (ARP).
How that money is spent matters, which is why I have launched Project: Gray Fox, which gives all Delawareans a simple way to see how ARP funds are being used. As your state auditor, I have the responsibility of ensuring that your taxpayer money is spent appropriately, and I strive to tackle fraud, waste and abuse wherever it may be.
My Gray Fox initiative aims to address ARP spending across the state by allowing Delawareans to see and compare how their counties, municipalities, school districts and state agencies are spending the millions in tax dollars they received from the American Rescue Plan.
County and municipal officials will go to a secure portal on my website and put in the details of where they have spent their ARP funds each week, allowing Delawareans to see spending in real time. The data will be transformed into palatable and consumable charts and graphics that show exactly how ARP funds are being used. From Wilmington and Newark to Lewes and Dewey Beach — and everywhere in between — all of Delaware’s municipalities will have an easy-to-use place to report their ARP expenditures consistently and efficiently.
Project: Gray Fox connects counties, cities, towns, school districts and other entities with our office to provide the necessary accountability, transparency and good governance that Delawareans deserve. The portal decreases administrative work by creating a collaborative way to report the use of ARP funds. Currently, these entities use different accounting systems, but our portal integrates these differences and allows for comparisons on a statewide level.
At the end of the day, this initiative is about ensuring that every Delawarean has the opportunity to be a fiscal watchdog over how these funds are being used across the state and in their local communities. After all, this money belongs to Delawareans, and my office is committed to providing an open and transparent resource for you to see how ARP funds are being spent.
Our team is here to help navigate these uncharted times, and as we move out of the worst of the pandemic, it is essential that the First State strives to be first in transparency and first in accountability.
Please join me in this historic initiative by going to auditor.delaware.gov and checking out the Gray Fox initiative. Together, we can move forward as leaders in good governance.
Kathy McGuiness, a pharmacist and certified fraud examiner, is Delaware’s auditor and the first woman to hold the office.
