As the city faces a 3.5 percent tax cap beginning next year, city departments are searching for ways to save their pennies. Staff members have found one such savings opportunity by working to get city employees into city-owned buildings rather than leasing office space. Right now, the city leases 781,000 square feet of office space […]
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 inFire
Wildfire audit update shows more work ahead
After hearing a new report from the Office of the City Auditor on Austin’s wildfire response efforts, Council Member Alison Alter said while the report lays out appropriate next steps for the city to take, those steps are probably not enough given the serious nature of the risk. Alter is chair of the Council Audit […]
Posted inPublic Health
Audit says Austin could better track outcomes after it refers people to mental health services
The city of Austin does a poor job of tracking the outcomes of people it refers to mental health services, despite the fact that improving access to these providers is one of City Council’s goals over the next couple of years. “Tracking of referrals to services was informal and varied across and within departments,” Cameron […]
Posted inPolice
Report faults APD’s handling of information
The Austin Police Department has failed to comply with the federal policy relating to access to criminal justice information maintained by the FBI, according to a special report from the Office of the City Auditor. Assistant City Auditor Andrew Keegan briefly described his findings to the Council Audit and Finance Committee on Thursday. The Texas […]
Posted inTransportation
Updated: Austin eliminating traffic deaths by 2025 a remote possibility, city audit finds
The city of Austin is unlikely to reach its goal of zero traffic deaths or serious injuries by 2025, according to a new report from the city auditor’s office. “While a goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries is an appropriate vision for Austin, (Transportation Department) staff acknowledged that it is unlikely the city […]
Posted inCity Council
City facing challenges in changing sidewalks
When Stephanie Hayden, director of Austin Public Health, sent out a memo last Friday explaining improvements the city was making to the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless, she underlined one sentence: “Please note the sidewalk construction is scheduled to begin Monday, September 16 and is estimated to last two weeks.” Although the announcement just […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit update shows progress on city HR complaints, with more work needed
The city’s Human Resources Department has made some progress on achieving the recommendations outlined in a 2017 report that found the city was taking too long to investigate complaints brought by city employees. The report, from Matrix Consulting Group, also found the city lacked proper training to prevent instances of discrimination, harassment and retaliation. In […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit finds ongoing delays, data problems for Development Services Department
The Office of the City Auditor has found that the city’s Development Services Department is still failing to meet on-time and customer satisfaction goals in its permitting process, even after making changes suggested in a 2015 report that found profound problems with local planning and development processes. The audit also found that Development Services still […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Council members say audit on Austin’s ‘enormous’ wildfire risk doesn’t go far enough
Austin City Council members say they need a better look at where the city could be falling short in terms of its wildfire preparedness. A report out today from the Office of the City Auditor said the city is doing enough to prepare for wildfires, but that Austin could do a better job of reducing […]
Posted inCity Hall
Tovo envisions changes to Second Street parking
With budget season approaching, Council members are thinking about what they can do to cut costs and increase revenues in their final budget with an 8 percent tax cap. Because of legislative action, next year’s tax cap will fall to 3.5 percent unless Council goes to voters to seek their approval of a larger increase. […]
Posted inPolice
City audit says Austin police could be better about keeping track of body camera footage
The Austin Police Department is still working out the kinks in its body camera program, according to a new city audit. The report released today by the city auditor’s office looked at footage from 151 body cam videos from Aug. 1, 2018, to Jan. 31, 2019 – a small sampling of all the videos recorded […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit finds city has ‘poor’ leasing practices
An analysis of the city’s leasing practices has called for widespread changes in coordination and oversight across city departments, after pointing out a number of inefficiencies and lost revenue that could cost $75 million over the next 30 years. The city auditor’s office has found that the city “does not use a strategic approach to […]