In fiscal year 2021, my office will initiate audits of the City’s financial condition, budget, COVID-19 and disaster response, and follow-ups on previously issued audits. We will also conduct short-term projects that will provide timely information to key decision makers on issues that are important to the public and the mission of our office. We are also looking at the impacts of COVID-19 on our open audits, including considering the fiscal and budgetary impacts.
On June 23, I announced that the budgetary audit would be of the police department. It has been 11 years since the Auditor’s Office audited police staffing or budget. I have heard loud and clear community interest in examining the police budget and that’s what our office will do. Additionally, I’m pleased to share that Council approved our budget for FY2021 that includes a reduction in expenses but no cuts to the number of auditors. This will allow us to also conduct an audit of police calls, as requested by
Councilmember Bartlett
and members of the community on June 16. As I shared at the June 23 City Council meeting, these audits will not start right away. Our staff is still wrapping up audits on streets, the library, and fleet management, which will be out in the next few months. Still, we are beginning to lay out a plan for the upcoming audits and have begun the process of filling a vacant position within the office.
Audits are deep dive analyses that involve a scoping period to narrow the areas for analysis, data collection, data analysis, background research, and interviews with experts, stakeholders, and staff. We look forward to taking on this important work.
Thank you the Mayor and City Council for approving our budget and all the members of the public who voiced support for strong independent audits through our office.
