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Audit finds travel-policy lapses and manual recordkeeping at city’s Batteries Included youth program
Summary
A city internal audit found two youth trips lacked documented City Risk Management approval and the Batteries Included programs rely on manual recordkeeping; auditors recommended checklists, central risk review and evaluation of software to track participant data. The audit report was approved by the Audit Oversight Committee.
An internal audit of the Department of Youth Development and Social Initiatives’ (YDSI) Batteries Included (BI) programs found instances of noncompliance with the city’s travel procedures and noted extensive manual recordkeeping that creates inefficiencies and the risk of lost documentation.
The audit, presented April 7 by Nancy Cardoza, Senior Internal Auditor, identified two trips — a college expo and a university tour — for which "no documentation was found showing evidence of the city risk manager's review and approval for both trips," Cardoza said. The city risk manager told auditors he had not received the travel notifications and therefore had not reviewed bus insurance or student liability waivers.
The audit’s nut graf: The findings highlight gaps in pre-trip safety review and records management for city-run youth activities, prompting recommendations aimed at reducing safety and administrative risk for student field trips and improving YDSI’s ability to report program metrics.
Key findings and recommendations
- Travel approvals and documentation: Auditors found missing or incomplete travel documentation, including medical forms and release/waiver of claim forms. They recommended that YDSI implement procedures to ensure required travel documentation is obtained, retained, and submitted to City Risk Management prior to travel and suggested use of a checklist to ensure completeness.
- Staff qualifications and expense review: The audit reviewed program advisor employment qualifications (background checks, CPR certifications, experience) and program expenses for fiscal year ended June 2024; auditors recommended verifying compliance where gaps were identified.
- Program activity information: BI program staff maintain manual records — registration forms, attendance sign-in sheets, permission slips and medical information — without a central software system. Auditors recommended that YDSI evaluate available software to capture and report program activity information more efficiently.
YDSI response and next steps
Dr. Tammy Malich, director of youth development and social initiatives, said YDSI is evaluating data-management options and has ruled out CivicRec for school-site activities because it "requires equipment, and most of our BI programs are at school sites, Clark County School District school sites, and some are at community centers. So it would work at our community centers, wouldn't work for us to bring equipment into school sites." Malich added YDSI is exploring Atlas through Workforce Connections and a HubSpot solution (free and paid tiers) as possible approaches, and that economic constraints are a factor in any procurement.
Tara Manor, a YDSI staff member, described operational improvements already made after the audit: YDSI created a streamlined binder process so advisors and program managers maintain a complete binder while the program head receives a short, scannable snapshot of who is on each trip. Manor said this change was intended to provide quick access to critical information while retaining a full set of records for post-trip review.
Committee action and context
Chair Eric Price called for a motion to approve the audit report. The committee approved the report by voice vote with no recorded opposition; the committee noted that YDSI has already completed two of the audit’s short-term recommendations (listed in the audit as 1.1 and 1.2) and is working to close remaining items.
Why it matters
The BI and Batteries Included Next Gen programs serve middle- and high-school students citywide and include year-round out-of-school activities, career workshops and college-prep events. Lapses in documented risk review and fragmented recordkeeping can impede the city’s ability to verify participant safety, follow-up on incidents and produce program metrics requested by auditors and policymakers.
What’s next
Auditors recommended that YDSI determine whether similar issues exist across other city programs and implement consistent procedures. YDSI is continuing its software evaluation and has already made short-term procedural changes to reduce immediate operational risk.
