Travis Hoban, Provo council member, says he would tighten audits and push budget transparency as Utah County auditor

Travis Hoban, a Provo City Council member and candidate for Utah County auditor, told the Utah County Republican Party podcast he would prioritize risk-based internal audits, clearer budget transparency and stronger process controls if elected.

Hoban said the auditor must ensure county leaders receive accurate financial information before major decisions. "No, I don't agree with the 48%," he said, referring to the 48% property-tax increase approved at the end of 2024; he argued commissioners acted on outdated deficit projections and that better audits and reporting could have prevented the decision.

Hoban framed his qualifications around both credentialing and executive experience. He said he is a certified internal auditor (CIA), has more than 20 years in the private tech sector including senior operations roles, and has served seven years on the Provo City Council. "We need to emphasize the auditor piece of the auditor's office," he said, adding that CIAs focus on risk, fraud and process improvements rather than only accounting.

Why it matters: Hoban tied the auditor's role to the county's recent budgeting controversies — including large tax increases and a prior tax-rate input error — saying taxpayers and local taxing entities suffered when reports and projections were inaccurate. He called for a targeted audit strategy using a risk matrix to prioritize high-impact work over calendar-driven audits.

On the specific mistakes Hoban referenced, the podcast discussed a tax-rate input error that led to underreported property-tax notices and cost some taxing entities millions of dollars. Hoban said the immediate response should emphasize fixing processes and controls rather than only disciplining the individual worker: "You could fire that individual and it could still happen again if you don't have the right processes and controls in place."

Hoban also addressed the county's Vault enterprise resource planning project, which has experienced cost overruns and delays. He said the auditor's office should identify vendor and staffing risks, monitor milestones and scope creep, and apply contingency planning used in private-sector project management to help get the ERP back on track.

On staffing and retention, Hoban said he would first evaluate current roles and value delivered by each team, explore technology to reduce unnecessary FTE needs, and build a culture that avoids single-person dependencies. He said inclusive hiring and one-on-one leadership would be part of his approach.

Hoban described transparency improvements — such as a visibility portal that flags significant budget variances and explains changes — as an immediate priority and pointed to transparent.utah.gov as a model. He said the auditor should balance independent oversight with collaboration, meet legal turnaround requirements for requests from commissioners, and hold regular public open houses to increase accountability. "Taxpayers are my boss," Hoban said.

Hoban cited Utah Code sections 17-69-301–302 to describe the auditor's legal powers to audit anything related to finances and taxpayer dollars while noting limits on performance audits designed to prevent politicization.

The interview closed with Hoban providing campaign contact information at travis4utah.org and reiterating his intent to prioritize risk-focused audits, process controls and budget transparency if elected.

Hoban's statements in this interview represent his positions as expressed on the Utah County Republican Party podcast; the comments and proposed approaches would require implementation steps and resources that were discussed only in general terms during the episode.