Detroit Inspector General asks council to fund manager position, details investigations and new oversight tools

Inspector General Bridal Maribel told the Detroit City Council during a budget hearing that the Office of Inspector General is seeking $171,379 to fund a manager of investigations and audit position and described office activity and new oversight tools the office plans to use.

Maribel said the office’s purpose is “to detect and root out fraud, abuse, waste, and corruption in city government and contracting.” She gave a summary of the OIG’s 2024 caseload and recent activity, saying, “We received and or reviewed 263 complaints in that time. We closed 250 complaints. We initiated 38 investigations. And we completed and closed 21 investigations.”

The OIG’s presentation explained that the office also issued 10 debarments and two interim suspensions in 2024, and that joint work with state and federal partners produced criminal charges in a multi-year case in which Maribel said $1,250,000 was returned to the city before sentencing and total restitution was $4,720,000.

Nut graf: The funding request would cover a new manager position and several operating items the OIG says are needed to meet charter responsibilities and expand proactive oversight. Maribel said proportional funding enacted last year creates a pathway for the OIG to grow to a 15-person office; the presentation tied…