The city’s Aviation Department faces a variety of risks, particularly related to insufficient staffing, according to a report from the Office of the City Auditor. Auditor-in-charge Kathie Harrison told the Council Audit & Finance Committee on Wednesday that the three top risk areas facing Aviation include contract and vendor management, asset management and maintenance and […]
Office of the City Auditor
This city department is created by the city’s charter in order to establish and ensure “accountability transparency, and a culture of continuous improvement in city operations.”
Posted inParks
Audit finds unpaid fees, lax rental practices at six PARD rec centers
The Office of the City Auditor has found widespread issues within the Austin Parks and Recreation Department related to inconsistent fee charges and collections for facility rentals at some community recreation centers. An audit report released Tuesday revealed that from January to July 2023, staff at six recreation centers — Austin Recreation Center, Dittmar Recreation […]
Posted inCity Hall
Auditor finds PARD employee improperly used rec center for birthday party
A new report from the Office of the City Auditor found that a Parks and Recreation Department employee violated city policy by organizing a birthday party at a recreation center he oversaw without reserving or paying the proper fees to use the facility. The report also found that Mark Vasquez, a PARD recreation program supervisor […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit finds low pay, telework policy among drags on the city’s worker retention rate
A recent audit by the Office of the City Auditor found the city’s efforts to retain employees are falling short, with compensation, career progression and telework policies standing out as problem areas. With a turnover rate that peaked at 11.77 percent in 2022, the need for more effective and strategic retention policies has become critical. […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit finds gender disparities in city hiring
A report released earlier this month by the Office of the City Auditor found that women are still underrepresented in the city workforce as city agencies work to improve their gender gap in hiring. A 2021 audit said that Austin “needs to be more deliberate in its pursuit of a diverse workforce,” but since the […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit cites lack of progress on homelessness strategies issued five-plus years ago
A new report from the Office of the City Auditor has found the city is still working toward accomplishing five recommendations to address homelessness that were suggested at least five years ago. The report, which was issued earlier this month, is the latest follow-up on the results of four analyses from 2017 to 2019 that […]
Posted inHousing
Audit finds office-to-residential conversions a bad fit for most local real estate
A recent audit by the Office of the City Auditor looking at the possibilities for converting vacant office spaces into housing stock has found the practice known as adaptive reuse is likely a poor fit for office buildings mostly constructed in the last 10 to 20 years. The audit, which was released in April, queried […]
Posted inCity Hall
Transportation official’s movie rental with city credit card was fraud, audit finds
Acting on a request they received last August, members of the Office of the City Auditor’s investigative team uncovered a trail of fraudulent behavior by Transportation and Public Works Department superintendent Michael Collier. In an audit report released last week, they said Collier falsified records related to his use of a city credit card. As […]
Posted inParks
Council members are looking into need for increased funds for parks maintenance
Austin’s parkland acreage is growing along with the population – however, staffing for maintenance of those parks has not kept pace, according to a report discussed Wednesday among City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee. After comparing the number of parks maintenance workers in 2014 to the current number, analysts at the Parks and Recreation Department […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit points out deficiencies in city’s criminal background checks
Although the city has improved its processes for conducting criminal background checks on prospective employees being considered for sensitive positions, a report from the city auditor’s office shows some gaps in the Human Resources Department’s process that could result in “legal, financial, and reputational risk for the City.” That’s one of the conclusions from an […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Auditor’s report points out difficulties with 911 call taking
As a result of complaints citizens made about problems they had connecting with the city’s 911 service during emergencies, City Council members Alison Alter and Vanessa Fuentes requested that the Office of the City Auditor look into how the Austin Police Department’s 911 service operates. Alter chairs the Audit and Finance Committee, and Fuentes is […]
Posted inCity Hall
Animal Services working to fix problems revealed by audit
Last September, the city’s Office of the City Auditor released an audit highly critical of the city’s animal shelter operations, saying there was a conflict between its priorities of providing humane care, operating as an open intake shelter and maintaining its live-release goals. On Wednesday, Assistant City Manager Stephanie Hayden-Howard and Animal Services Officer Don […]