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Newport News auditor lays out first annual audit plan; council told to prioritize work
Summary
City Auditor Tammy Dantzler presented Newport News' first FY27 annual audit plan, targeting cybersecurity, fixed assets, contract compliance and EMS billing; council members commended the plan but urged the council to set priorities if capacity limits force carryover to the next fiscal year.
Tammy Dantzler, the City Auditor, presented Newport News' FY27 annual audit plan at the City Council work session on May 26, outlining a risk-based program that will examine areas including cybersecurity, fixed assets, consultant contract compliance, EMS billing and adult services.
Dantzler said the office uses the city strategic plan, prior audits, hotline reports and department meetings to build the audit schedule and follows three phases — planning, fieldwork and reporting — for each engagement. "We evaluate current controls and provide operational improvement recommendations," she said during the presentation.
The plan lists proposed audits across high-risk areas and commits to publishing draft and final reports on the auditor's website. Dantzler said audit activities will include interviews, evidence testing and management responses before finalizing reports.
Council members welcomed the work but stressed the need to prioritize. Councilman Long thanked Dantzler and asked whether the engineering contract audit would cover pedestrian-safety concerns raised repeatedly by a resident; Dantzler said the audit team would pull relevant engineering contracts for review. The Vice Mayor commended the auditor and noted the council must rank items so the office can carry lower-priority audits into the next fiscal year if staffing or time constraints prevent completion.
No formal vote or decision was taken on the audit plan at the work session; council members indicated they expect a council-level action at a future meeting after discussing priorities.
The auditor said routine activities such as surprise cash counts, fraud-and-abuse hotline follow-ups and continuous credit-card audits will continue alongside the proposed FY27 engagements.
