Tag Archives: Office of the City Auditor
Audit finds inaccurate data on city portal
Unreliable data is a widespread problem for the city of Austin, according to an audit performed by the Office of the City Auditor. Francis Reilly, the auditor in charge, explained some of the city’s data problems to the City Council…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Jul 26, 2023
Ethics Review Commission OKs pandemic-era changes to lobbying ordinance
The Ethics Review Commission last week voted unanimously to recommend changes to the city’s lobbying rules. The rules ensure phone calls and video conferences are properly recorded as appearances before a city official. The changes to City Code Chapter 4-8…
City Hall • By Nina Hernandez • Jul 5, 2023
Insufficient staffing revealed in audit of fraud and waste at Parks and Recreation Department
A former employee of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department fraudulently submitted timesheets stating she was working, according to a report from the Office of the City Auditor, and she collected paychecks for six months in 2021 – although she…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Jul 3, 2023
Former city employee abused sick leave policy, audit says
A former employee of the city’s Animal Services Department misused city resources by claiming sick leave after getting a new job at Travis County, according to a report from the Office of the City Auditor. The audit says Luis Negrete,…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • May 16, 2023
Audit shows growth of firefighters’ overtime spending
Firefighters continue to rack up overtime while the Austin Fire Department continues to recruit and train more firefighters as others retire. According to a report presented to the city’s Audit and Finance Committee on Wednesday, the department was on track…
Fire • By Jo Clifton • Apr 27, 2023
Former airport CEO had conflict of interest, report shows
Jacqueline Yaft, who recently resigned her job as CEO of the Austin Aviation Department, had a conflict of interest beginning in June 2019 when she went to work for the city, according to an investigative report from the Office of…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Apr 7, 2023
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Audit claims fraud by contractor for city health department
In a report released Thursday, the Office of the City Auditor detailed its investigation into allegations that a nonprofit contractor for Austin Public Health “committed fraud by misrepresenting over $1.1 million in financial transactions across three contracts” with the health…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Mar 31, 2023
Former city employee allegedly stole, tried to sell city property
Investigators from the Austin Office of the City Auditor have released a report that shows a former employee of the Communications and Technology Management department “stole and attempted to sell a city-owned mobile device in December 2021.” That employee, Brian…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Jan 23, 2023
Austin Water making progress but needs more employees
Members of City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee have reviewed the findings of a report detailing problems during four significant events at Austin Water’s Ullrich Water Treatment Plant between 2018 and February 2022, including three boil-water notices and a zebra…
Water • By Jo Clifton • Jan 19, 2023
UT report offers 'roadmap' for changes at Austin Water
In the wake of five incidents between 2018 and 2022 related to water quality problems, including three boil-water notices and a zebra mussel invasion, Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros resigned and City Council asked the city auditor to identify a group…
Water • By Jo Clifton • Jan 12, 2023
Audit shows flaws in city’s plans for cold weather shelters
An audit presented to the City Council Audit & Finance committee last week says the city is not keeping up with planning for cold weather shelters and that city staff have not received sufficient training in dealing with people seeking…
Public Health • By Jo Clifton • Dec 20, 2022
Audit criticizes city’s services for older adults
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…
