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Council creates five‑member screening committee for fraud, waste and abuse complaints
Summary
The county adopted Ordinance 2026‑05 creating a five‑member screening committee (auditor, manager or designee, county attorney or designee, and two council members) to review fraud, waste and abuse complaints and to comply with OPMA rules, replacing an auditor-only screening process.
Tooele County’s council adopted Ordinance 2026‑05 on June 16, establishing a new five‑member screening committee to review fraud, waste and abuse complaints instead of relying solely on the county auditor.
Nathan Harris summarized the ordinance’s purpose and composition: the screening committee will include the county auditor, the county manager or a designee, two members of the county council (one of whom would be the chair or vice chair) and the county attorney or a designee. Harris said the change is intended to add transparency and multiple perspectives to complaint screening and that Open and Public Meetings Act (OPMA) requirements will apply to committee meetings. “We have created a new committee…a five‑member committee that’s made up of the county auditor, the county manager or designee, two members of the Tooele County Council… and the county attorney or a designee,” Harris said.
Council members asked about delegation paths for complaints that may be multifaceted, such as matters involving legal, HR or investigatory needs. Harris and County Attorney Scott Brainard said the screening committee could forward matters to the auditor for statutory reviews, to the full council for a performance audit, to external investigative agencies, or to HR/legal departments depending on the nature of the complaint.
The ordinance requires recusal for any committee member who is the subject of a complaint. Councilmembers said the ordinance clarifies expectations for the audit committee and aims to ensure complaints go to the appropriate investigative body.
What’s next: The ordinance is in effect; staff will implement meeting‑notice and recusal procedures and coordinate with HR and the county attorney’s office on referral pathways.
