The team from the Austin city auditor’s office scrutinizing services for aging adults found numerous problems with how the city communicates about its programs and lacks a plan for measuring the performance of those programs. Auditor-in-charge Kelsey Thompson reported on the findings to the Council Audit & Finance Committee Wednesday. According to a survey of […]
Austin City Council Audit and Finance Committee
A sub-group of the Austin City Council whose members are charged with oversight of city fiscal operations and anything that falls under the purview of the Office of the City Auditor. Reports and documents for the committee can be found here.
Posted inCity Hall
City seeks to extend $20 minimum wage to some contractors
Although increasing the minimum wage for city employees to $20 an hour was good news for city workers, the increase did not automatically apply to contract workers. The previous minimum for city employees was $15 per hour, which the city adopted for the Fiscal Year 2019 budget. As James Scarboro, the city’s chief procurement officer, […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council committee catches up before new animal shelter audit
Last week, City Council Audit and Finance Committee members heard an update on a 2015 audit of the Animal Services Department in preparation for a new audit initiated by City Council in July. The 2015 audit, which discovered some issues that have yet to be fixed, found that Animal Services lacked an effective process to […]
Posted inCity Hall
City looks to move away from leased facilities
The city is moving forward on its goal to transition from leased to owned facilities for staff by 2026, according to an update the strategic facilities governance team gave to City Council’s Audit & Finance Committee last Wednesday. Aiming to develop new and improved facilities for city staff at Rutherford Lane and Johnny Morris Road, […]
Posted inCity Hall
As employees return, complaints of fraud increase
Allegations of fraud, waste and abuse by city employees declined during 2020 and 2021 as a large number of employees worked from home. Brian Molloy, chief of the integrity unit at the Office of the City Auditor, told City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee on Wednesday that his division received 275 such complaints about city […]
Posted inCity Hall
Cultural Arts continues revisions for arts contracts funded by hotel tax
The city is moving ahead with further revisions to its process for awarding contracts for Cultural Arts funding, with the rollout of the first phase of a three-tiered pilot program expected to take place in October. Cultural Arts staff members gave an update last week to City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee on their progress […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council eyes possible trimming, merging of some boards and commissions
City Council appears ready to take a comprehensive look at the makeup and purpose of the many boards and commissions currently advising Council on city policy, with the possibility of dissolving or merging some of the groups. At last week’s meeting of Council’s Audit and Finance Committee, a recommendation passed unanimously to have Council vote […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit report finds city making slow progress on website accessibility, usability
The city has moved slowly in making its website as accessible and useful as possible for residents and falls short of federal principles to ensure usability for people of all abilities, according to a recent report from the Office of the City Auditor. At Wednesday’s meeting of City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee, staff presented […]
Posted inCity Council
Lobby ordinance needs revision to cover virtual meetings
City auditors have found that, while the city’s registered lobbyists are largely complying with city regulations, there is one significant gap in the reporting requirements. Although lobbyists are required to report their in-person meetings, no such requirement exists for virtual meetings, according to a report discussed at last week’s City Council Audit & Finance Committee […]
Posted inEMS
New EMS chief outlines progress on collections
With a projected budget deficit by Fiscal Year 2027, any news about increasing collections from those who owe the city of Austin money, including the state of Texas, is good news for City Council. Robert Luckritz, who recently joined the city as chief of Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, brought some of that good news […]
Posted inAustin
Airport Hilton rebounds from pandemic losses
The Hilton hotel at Austin’s airport has made a significant recovery from the dark days of the pandemic, airport executives Tracy Thompson and Rajeev Thomas explained to the City Council Audit & Finance Committee Wednesday. During 2021, the Hilton’s occupancy rate was about 62 percent and the average daily room rate was slightly less than […]
Posted inWater
Committee tells auditor to seek water audit contract with UT
On Wednesday, City Council’s Audit & Finance Committee directed City Auditor Corrie Stokes to move forward with an interlocal agreement with the University of Texas to conduct an audit to review problems at Austin Water. The city has just released its internal report on the events that led to the boil-water notice in February. Council […]