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Riverside council creates Office of Inspector General, moves budget and staffing to new office
Summary
Council approved creation of an Office of Inspector General, transferring the internal audit division into the new office, establishing a salary range (top annual salary noted at $217,213) and authorizing budget transfers; council debated delegated authority to retain outside counsel and approved the measure 6–1.
Riverside — The City Council on Nov. 18 approved establishing an Office of Inspector General (OIG), following a voter‑approved charter amendment, and authorized initial classification, salary ranges and internal budget transfers to stand up the office.
Renee Goldman, the city's human resources director, reviewed the timeline that led to the proposal and said the change replaces the existing internal audit division with an independent Office of Inspector General that will oversee investigations, audits, inspections and performance evaluations. "The recommendation this evening is that you approve the creation of the classification and salary range for the inspector general," Goldman said, summarizing staffing of an Inspector General (at‑will), a deputy or assistant IG and a performance analyst, and a budget increase to reflect the new classifications.
Goldman showed a proposed maximum annual salary for the Inspector General of $217,213 and described an interdepartmental budget transfer to move staffing and funding from the existing internal audit division. City Attorney staff drafted municipal code language to allow the OIG to retain outside legal counsel if the city attorney's office has a conflict.
Councilmembers debated the ordinance language that delegates authority for outside counsel, discussing a $25,000 threshold for notification and a $1,225,000 delegated authority amount described in the draft. City attorney staff said the $25,000 threshold mirrors existing delegation practices and that the inspector general would generally use outside counsel for advisory work rather than litigation; staff also said the $1.225 million figure aligns with amounts historically delegated to the city attorney for outside counsel.
Councilmember Cervantes moved to proceed with the staff recommendations; Councilmember Robillard seconded. The motion carried 6–1, with Ward 1 recorded as the lone dissenting vote in the transcript.
The vote authorizes the city to create the OIG classifications, transfer existing audit staff (three FTEs) and funding into the new office, and to introduce ordinance language and a resolution necessary to effect the change. Councilmembers said the new office is intended to be independent and to return with requests for additional resources if needed.
