Audit committee reviews Inspector General report and presses for more transparency on open recommendations

The Montgomery County Audit Committee met to review the Office of the Inspector General's status report on open recommendations. Inspector General Meghan Lamarzee told the committee the office has tracked 18 engagements since January 2024, producing 48 findings and 72 recommendations; about 29 of those recommendations have been closed to date.

Lamarzee described the office's formal tracking process, adopted in January 2024, and said the office follows professional auditing standards and conducts status checks on a roughly 90-day rotation to request implementation evidence from departments and the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

"We ask for a status update. Where are you on implementing those corrective actions and the plan that you put into place?" Lamarzee said, explaining that when the office receives supporting documentation it can close a recommendation; if not, the office will follow up in another 90 days. She added the follow-up testing to verify whether corrective actions actually addressed findings is a later, more formal step.

Committee members focused on delays for long-open items. Lamarzee identified the Police Department fiscal management audit as the office's longest-open engagement, noting it has been open for well over a year and skews the office's average open time. Councilmember Friedson said public visibility helps enforcement: "Sunlight is a pretty good disinfectant," he said, urging clarity about repeat findings.

Members asked Lamarzee whether departments push back and what recourse the office has. Lamarzee said most departments respond to requests for documentation; where they do not, she can escalate issues to department leadership and to the County's chief administrative staff and can highlight matters to the committee publicly.

Several committee members urged creating an up-to-date public database that would list outstanding audits, particularly those beyond 365 days. Lamarzee said she supports increased transparency but stressed that her office has limited staffing: "I have very limited resources," she said, noting the audit division's capacity has not increased for three years and that implementing and maintaining a public database would require additional resources.

The committee agreed to compile follow-up questions and send a formal letter asking for departmental documentation where needed and for progress updates on long-outstanding items. The committee scheduled the Office of the Inspector General to return for a follow-up on Nov. 21 at 9:30 a.m.

The meeting concluded with the committee noting it would escalate a police-department letter to the CAO if necessary and that government operations and HHS were meeting in joint session later that day.