DENVER Legislators voted Tuesday to audit the state Division of Parks and Wildlife, which revealed a $32.4 million error in its books this summer.
Until July, state officials thought their Wildlife Cash Fund was healthy, and the Wildlife Commission approved millions of dollars worth of projects based on bad accounting information.
The projects include a move of the Southwest regional headquarters from Durango to Gunnison, a move that is now on hold.
Three Democratic state representatives asked for the audit in July, when wildlife officials revealed the error. Two of the representatives Sal Pace and Joe Miklosi are running for Congress.
The audit will look at spending from the Wildlife Cash Fund from 2007 to 2011 to make sure it was proper and legal.
It also will try to diagnose how wildlife officials came to believe they had millions more dollars more than they actually did.
Auditors will take a fresh look at the books to see if the Division of Parks and Wildifes estimate of $32.4 million as the size of the error is accurate.
No money is missing from wildlife bank accounts, but the budget experts who oversee the accounts reported bad information to their managers.
