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County auditor objects to proposed relocation; says second-floor bullpen would undermine audit work
Summary
Champaign County Auditor Dana told the Facilities Committee she objects to a proposed relocation from the Fourth Floor to a largely open second-floor bullpen that she said lacks adequate private offices, storage and sound separation for audit work.
Champaign County Auditor Dana addressed the Facilities Committee under other business to object to a proposed relocation of the Auditor's Office from the Fourth Floor to a largely unfinished second-floor space that would be shared with two Emergency Management Agency (EMA) employees.
Dana said the Auditor’s Office had a purpose-built layout on the Fourth Floor, including dedicated storage and separate offices designed by an architect. “My objection to being placed into the space is that the auditor's office is accustomed to separate offices so that sensitive things can be stated without everyone hearing,” Dana said, noting financial data and personnel matters sometimes require privacy. Dana described the second-floor option as an open bullpen with only two finished offices and a large unfinished 2,360-square-foot area that would not meet the auditor’s operational needs.
Dana said the proposal was raised by administration without consulting her office and that moving the auditor’s staff would forfeit approximately 3,000 square feet of dedicated fourth-floor office and storage space. She urged committee members to review the space in person and to consider the Auditor's operational needs. Dana also noted concerns about proximity to law enforcement functions and the different types of public interactions that typically occur at law enforcement vs. audit or financial counters.
Committee members and staff responded that final allocation decisions around floor assignments have generally been handled by county administration and the county executive's office. Committee members encouraged Dana to raise concerns with administration and to visit the building before final moves are made; several members acknowledged moving into a newly finished building often requires follow-up adjustments such as additional cubicles, partitions or furniture changes.
Ending: Administration indicated moving and furniture budgets exist and that changes could be handled as needs arise, but committee members said the authority to finalize office allocation rests with the county executive and administration rather than the facilities committee.
