Jim Zeigler moves state auditors into Ethics Commission offices

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Jim Zeigler

In April, Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler received written notice from Legislative Council informing him that he was being kicked out of the Alabama State House. Now he’s found a new home for his auditors: the Alabama Ethics Commission.

The working offices of the auditors had been in the State House since July 2007, but Zeigler received notice they would have to be out by September 30, 2018, the last day of the 2018 fiscal year.

Since receiving the notice, Zeigler has been on the hunt for a new office location. Enter an agreement to sublease unused space at the Alabama Ethics Commission.

Finalized Friday, the sublease is for 744 square feet on the 3rd floor of the RSA Union Building was approved by Zeigler, Director of the Ethics Commission Tom Albritton, and Dr. David Bronner CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, which owns the building and holds the primary lease with the Ethics Commission.

The Auditor’s office will rent the space for $682 a month in 2018, which will move to $697.50 a month in 2019 and 2020, and up to $713 a month in 2021.

“We are a small agency with low costs to Alabama taxpayers. We get a lot done with little space and little staff.” Zeigler said.

Job of the State Auditor

The State Auditor is tasked with providing accountability to the taxpayers of Alabama by maintaining accurate records of all personal property valued at $500 and above, as well as items deemed sensitive in nature. As well as serving as only check and balance between the Comptroller’s Office and the State Treasury.

Zeigler has added to that traditional duty an additional role – a “watchman against government waste and mismanagement.”