Section 40. For the purpose of conducting audits of the accounts of all cities and towns annually, and of the accounts of each district and regional school district biennially or annually as determined by the prudential committee, if any, otherwise the commissioners, or the regional district school committee, the firm or person engaged to conduct such audits shall have access to all necessary papers, books, and records. All accounts subject to audit by town auditors under section 53 of chapter 41 shall be subject to audit, and the trustees of any property the principal or income of which, in whole or in part, was bequeathed or given in trust for public uses for the benefit of the city or town or any part thereof, or for the benefit of the inhabitants of the city or town or any part thereof, shall give said firm or person access to their accounts, funds, securities and evidences of property for the purposes of the audit. Upon the completion of each audit as aforesaid, a report thereunder shall be made to the mayor and city council in cities, the selectmen in towns, the prudential committee and commissioners in a district, and the regional district school committee in a regional school district, and a copy of the same shall be furnished to the city, town or district clerk, who shall cause the same or a summary of its essential features to be published at the expense of the city, town or district. A copy of the audit report shall be furnished to the director of accounts. If embezzlement or other criminal activity is suspected as a result of audit findings, the foregoing city, town, or district officials shall bring the relevant information to the attention of the district attorneys and attorney general and give assistance to any investigation instituted in response.

Commencing with the fiscal year 1987, regional school districts may satisfy the requirements of the Single Audit Act of 1984, 31 USC Sec. 7502, by causing audits of its records to be made annually or biennially by an independent auditor to be selected by such regional school districts to conduct such audits. Such audits shall be made in accordance with federal government auditing standards.