City staff report fraud-risk score and update council on prosecution and public defense operations

City staff presented the annual fraud-risk assessment and briefed the council on prosecution and indigent-defense operations at the Sept. 17 meeting.

Scott reported the city's fraud-risk score is 375 out of 395 points under the state-auditor framework, noting only one item was missing: an annual written ethics commitment for employees and elected officials. He said most other controls and training items are in place and that remedying the missing item is straightforward.

Tracy Cadell (identified in the transcript as Tracy Cadell, city attorney) gave the quarterly prosecution report. He described post-COVID court operations with in-person calendars running simultaneously with Webex sessions and breakout sessions, a proprietary/cloud-based case-management system that scrapes court data and stores encrypted files certified by the Utah Bar, and an internal review process when trial outcomes prompt case reviews and training adjustments.

Doug Stoll (indigent defense) reported roughly 700 cases per quarter for the office, with about 5% going to trial; he noted the office represents multiple valley cities and that recent changes in district-court scheduling increased burdens because appeals and hearings now appear before many different judges rather than being consolidated on a single city day. Stoll said the workload strain requires examining contract terms for larger cities such as West Valley.

Council asked clarifying questions about the one missing fraud-control item and training cadence; staff said the state auditor's training and periodic local training cover most requirements and that adopting an annual written ethics commitment would move the city closer to a perfect score.