City Council approves auditor work plan after public calls for review of police overtime

The Sacramento City Council voted April 20 to approve the City Auditor's fiscal year 2025–26 work plan, a package of audits and research projects focused on efficiency and accountability as the city confronts a multi‑million dollar budget shortfall.

City Auditor Farishta told the council the office prioritized projects that could identify cost savings or revenue increases and said the plan was the version approved by the Budget and Audit Committee. “The recommendation that is before you today is to pass the motion approving the city auditor's fiscal year 25–26 work plan,” Farishta said.

The work plan lists ongoing and planned audits including homelessness response (a multi‑part review beginning with hotel‑motel programs), pedestrian safety, code compliance night team, the city's radio systems, special event permitting, and continued cannabis oversight tied to Measure L obligations. Farishta told the council the auditor's office had nine staff with one remaining vacancy in the performance audit division and cited operational limits: as of Jan. 1, 2025 the office had 23 open whistleblower tips and expects roughly 160 tips annually, which reduces the time available for other projects.

The vote followed public comment urging a focused review of overtime spending in the police department. “I can't think of a more important use of the city auditor's time right now going into a budget cycle where we are facing continuing deficits,” said Keyon Bliss, a resident and public‑safety advocate, who cited public reports about overtime totals and singled out officers whose overtime exceeded base pay.

Council members debated whether the auditor should add a dedicated audit of Sacramento Police Department overtime practices to the current work plan or refer that request to the Budget and Audit Committee for next‑year consideration. Mayor Pro Tem Guerra moved approval of the auditor's plan; council members approved the work plan and directed the Budget and Audit Committee to take up a formal proposal on a police overtime audit for the next work‑plan cycle. The council also asked staff to compile and make available existing overtime reports and policy materials to the Police Review Commission and Budget and Audit Committee for earlier review.

The motion carried on a roll call with seven members voting yes and two absent. Vote totals recorded in the meeting: Dickinson — yes; Maple — yes; Mayor Pro Tem Guerra — yes; Jennings — yes; Vang — yes; Vice Mayor Talamontes — yes; Mayor McCarty — yes; Councilmembers Kaplan and Pluckettbaum were absent.

The auditor said filling the vacant principal fiscal policy analyst position remained important to meeting the office's caseload. Farishta also indicated some audits may be contracted out when internal capacity is constrained, and the council asked the auditor and Budget and Audit Committee to present cost estimates for any contracted work.

Next steps: the Budget and Audit Committee will consider whether to add a police overtime audit to next year's work plan and the City Auditor will continue scheduled audits including the homeless response follow‑up and pedestrian safety review.