Councilman Costello to Introduce Resolution Regarding City Audits
Statement provided to SouthBMore.com from Councilman Costello:
I will be introducing a resolution this evening which calls for a hearing on the status of audits mandated by the recent Charter Amendment (see City Charter, Article VII, Subsection 4.5), also known as the Quadrennial Audits Bill. Specifically, the hearing will call for testimony from Department of Finance, Department of Law, and City Auditor officials re: the status of the 13 financial and performance audits required to be completed by end-2016.
The Mayor’s Office has developed a policy for implementation of this Charter Amendment. However, there is some ambiguity in both the Charter Amendment and the policy. In addition, there are areas in which the policy could be strengthened to reduce a potential conflict of interest. According to the policy, the Director of Finance is responsible for ensuring the Charter Amendment is carried out. He has expressed a willingness to work together to strengthen the process outlined in this policy.
The lack of audits in city departments has often been a complaint of many Baltimore residents and a recurring discussion topic on social media. When Dave Troy, CEO of 410 Labs, was asked what he would like to see from new Governor Larry Hogan, he told the Baltimore Business Journal the following:
“I’d love to see Gov. Hogan demand more accountability from Baltimore City by demanding full and regular audits of city departments and agencies, most of which haven’t been audited in decades. This can only lead to better fiscal controls and management in the long run, and will help Baltimore become the great city it can be.”
Costello Discussing Property Taxes and Audits in a Recent SouthBMore.com Interview:
