In its quest to find money saving opportunities the King County Council unanimously approved the creation of a full-time, independent auditor for Metro Transit.

Authored by council member Rod Dembowski, the independent auditor will be tasked to find potential savings and efficiencies in a budget approaching $1 billion annually.

Dembowski said he wrote the legislation after hearing county residents calls for reviewing Metro Transit funding and spending.

“Government must be accountable, efficient and transparent,” Dembowski said.

According to the council member previous audits of Metro Transit have consistently found savings opportunities and potential improvements. An audit completed in 2009 resulted in nearly $800 million in net positive impact for the agency, according to Dembowski.

The newly approved position will be required to file a report summarizing the results of their work in the past 24 months to the King County Council and the public by July 1 of every even-numbered year.