Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- New Utah Auditor Tina Cannon criticizes a bill relocating her office from the Capitol.
- Sen. Mike McKell argues the move allows more lawmakers in the Capitol.
- Cannon emphasizes the Capitol's symbolic importance and her transparency initiatives.
SALT LAKE CITY — New Utah Auditor Tina Cannon said on the final day of the 2025 Legislature Friday that last-minute changes to a bill would push her office out of the state Capitol building, a move she's calling disrespectful.
Senate Majority Assistant Whip Mike McKell, the sponsor of SB143, told KSL NewsRadio's "Dave and Dujanavic" he sees the auditor retaining some space in the historic building while relocating her staff to another building on Capitol Hill to make more room for lawmakers.
Cannon, the state's first female auditor and one of five statewide elected officials along with the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and treasurer, said on the radio program that the legislation came as a surprise.
"It felt very last-minute and very rushed through the process. I can't speak to why that happened that way. I've only been here 60 days. I find it a little shocking, frustrating, disrespectful of the process in general," she said.
The bill was substituted on the House floor Thursday night to add language turning over control of Suite 260 in the Capitol to the Legislature once "a substantially similar space on Capitol Hill is assigned to the state auditor."
McKell, however, said it is important for the auditor to "have a presence in the Capitol building." But he said the priority is to "get as many elected officials in the Capitol building" as possible, noting that eight of the 29 state senators did not have offices there.
Space allocations in the Capitol building as well as the House and Senate buildings are being reevaluated in light of a fourth building set for completion in the coming year, he said, pointing out that 99% of the attorney general's staff is already housed outside the Capitol.
Cannon said the Capitol building was envisioned as "an illustration" of the balance of power between the legislative, executive and judicial branches. Her major initiative since taking office in January was to open up part of the office to the public.
"It hadn't been opened. We found a doorknob and opened the door to the public," said Cannon, who is responsible for auditing state and local governments. "We invite the public in, and we teach them how to search the records of the state of Utah that we have."
McKell said there's no reason that service couldn't be made accessible to the public from one of the other buildings on Capitol Hill. He said any suggestion the office space has to do with the auditor's transparency efforts is "unfortunate."
"We want that office to be successful," he said. "We want it to be accessible to the public."
