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Office of Audit and Performance proposes ordinance changes to clarify audit access, highlights training and Indie Performs uptake
Summary
Director Wesley Jones presented a mid-year update from the Office of Audit and Performance, outlining staff training, the Indie Performs program, ongoing reviews (including an OPHS audit due in October), and proposed ordinance amendments to add operational review authority and explicit access to records for audits.
Wesley Jones, director of the Office of Audit and Performance (OAP), briefed the Indianapolis Marion County Audit Committee on July 25, 2025, about the office’s mid-year activities and a proposal to amend the audit-ordinance language to clarify the office’s authority.
Jones told the committee the office has emphasized staff development in 2025, including continuing professional education for auditors and participation in local lean and change-management training for performance staff. "We're trying to take advantage of all that and increase our skills," Jones said.
On the performance side, manager Caitlin Edwards described Indie Performs, the OAP training program for city and county staff. Edwards said the spring session had 23 participants and the current session had 19, a combined 42 participants across 18 agencies and departments. She said staff from budgeting and operations teams have been among participants and that the program is intended to help employees visualize and act on agency data.
Jones reported a number of ongoing OAP engagements: a benefit-leave audit and several cash-count reviews remain in progress; a review of the Office of Public Health and Safety (OPHS) is nearing completion with results expected by October; and the office has been consulted for enterprise change-management work. He said the office will finish outstanding fieldwork and report results to the committee later in the year.
The office proposed edits to the ordinance that defines OAP powers and duties. The proposed changes would explicitly add operational reviews and internal-controls language, and would clarify that the office should have access to records and information necessary to perform audits and reviews. Jones said the revisions are intended to reduce friction when departments provide information. "This kind of concept was really the impetus for coming up with a charter," he said, describing the goal of making authority clearer in the ordinance.
Committee members discussed wording and scope. Councilor Michael Paul Hart asked whether OAP’s reviews extend into policy work; Jones said the updates reflect the performance team’s activities, including program support and training. Controller Abby Hanson said that when OAP recommends program reductions or increases, the controller’s role is to develop budget recommendations to the mayor and council—not to unilaterally change agency budgets. Councilor Greg Plater asked whether OAP’s strengthened authority would reduce pushback from agencies; Jones said the proposed language is intended to help secure needed information but is not a complete solution to all access issues.
Council members also noted potential overlap between OAP responsibilities and discussions about creating an inspector general office; several members suggested staying coordinated to avoid duplication of duties if the council pursues broader structural changes.
Jones said the OAP will begin the formal ordinance proposal process in coming months and hopes to carry it through committee and full council by the fall. The office will return to the audit committee with the formal ordinance language and with results from ongoing engagements.
