Review committee recommends creation of a proposed city auditor and urges regular interlocal cooperation

The Citizens Government Review Committee voted to include in its final report a recommendation that the charter be amended to create the office of a proposed city auditor appointed by the governing body and serving at its pleasure. Committee members discussed the scope of the auditor’s duties and how the office would interact with county auditors and other local entities.

During discussion, members said the proposed auditor should have duties that include receiving reports and complaints, examining financial and administrative processes, and maintaining whistleblower intake channels. Committee member Brian noted the auditor could provide an independent avenue for handling concerns raised about city operations: "The auditor's role could include receiving whistleblower reports," he said. Committee members also discussed building a joint city‑county forum (or other joint body) for regular meetings to look at shared functions such as IT, cybersecurity, libraries, parks, and other shared services.

The draft report text was edited to refer consistently to a "proposed city auditor" and to recommend the governing body create a joint city‑county body to review certain functions, with the proposed auditor or city manager presenting findings to that body. Members asked staff to align the recommendation language with the auditor functions listed in the issue paper and to make clear the list of auditor functions is illustrative, not exhaustive.

Committee members discussed practical items related to implementing an auditor office: appointment by the governing body, the auditor serving at the pleasure of the governing body, and possible coordination with Johnson County and the district auditor for investigative or legal steps. Doug Jones (Johnson County auditor) was cited as a conferee whose input on auditor duties informed the committee's drafting. The committee also recommended that the report describe joint meetings between the governing body and the county commission on a regularly scheduled basis rather than "as needed."

Ending: Staff will revise the draft language to consistently use "proposed city auditor," add clarifying language that the listed functions are not exhaustive, and include the joint‑meetings recommendation in the issue paper. The committee will circulate the final draft before posting.