Local officials expressed their support of legislation passed in the 2015 Minnesota Legislative session Wednesday afternoon that has triggered a lawsuit against three counties and the state.

The legislation gave each of the 59 counties in Minnesota that are audited by the state auditor — including Freeborn County — the option to opt out and enlist a private certified public accountant agency to conduct the audit after the 2016 audit is completed in 2017.

District 27A Rep. Peggy Bennett, R-Albert Lea, expressed support for the legislation in a field meeting Wednesday afternoon at the Freeborn County courthouse with members of the House State Government Finance Committee.

“If we can get better results and save taxpayers money, it’s a no-brainer,” Bennett said of the legislation.

She said the government needs to be about people and expressed concern that government could get too big and perpetuate itself and not help its constituents.

Minnesota State Auditor Rebecca Otto is suing Becker, Wright and Ramsey counties and the state of Minnesota in connection with the law that she deems unconstitutional.

Otto said the law passed was an unprecedented effort to privatize a constitutional public function of her office.

“It’s unconstitutional, and it’s bad for taxpayers,” Otto said.

Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles discussed the Office of the Legislative Auditor’s auditing of the State Auditor’s Office, and Freeborn County Administrator John Kluever presented the effects Freeborn County has faced from being audited by the State Auditor’s Office.

Kluever said audits for Freeborn County have averaged between $71,000 and $78,000 for the last four years. He said the county could potentially save money by enlisting a private accounting agency to conduct audits and expressed support for the legislation so the county could have the chance to review its options.

Otto said there was no proof in Nobles’ audit that private audits saved counties money or were more efficient.

She said the State Auditor’s Office is a watchdog for the public, and the bill is an attempt to gut the office.

Kluever said there have been years in the past where timeliness has been an issue where an audit has been completed too late in the year for budget and planning purposes for the next fiscal year.

Nobles said Otto needs to take a different approach.

He said she needs to look at a larger strategic plan and said her office is too focused on counties and should start focusing more cities and schools to shift the burden from the counties.

District 55A Rep. Bob Loonan, R-Shakopee, said the onus has fallen on counties to solve  issues that stem from the State Auditor’s Office.

Nobles said he enjoyed his visit to Albert Lea.

“It’s always great to get out of St. Paul,” he said. “It just feels a little more real out here frankly when you really get down to the county level where people are trying to stretch a budget.”

Bennett said the project is good because it addresses government quality and efficiency.

“It’s important to people, so it should be important to us, too,” she said.