Howard County inspector general presents FY2027 budget; advisory board recommends it provides sufficient funding

Howard County Inspector General Kelly Madigan presented a proposed fiscal year 2027 operating budget at the advisory board's Feb. 5 virtual meeting and the board voted to recommend the proposal provides sufficient funding to meet the office's duties.

Madigan, who identified herself as Howard County's first inspector general, told the board the proposed general-fund allotment for the office is approximately $799,000 and that personnel costs account for the large majority of the request. "Technically you would round up to 96% of the OIG's budget is gonna be salaries," she said, explaining the office's FY2027 personnel total of $764,383 and the rationale for staffing decisions.

The Inspector General outlined a staffing plan based on four positions established for the office — the inspector general, a deputy, a senior analyst/investigator and an administrative assistant — and proposed reclassifying the administrative assistant into a second investigator. "More investigators are gonna translate to more complaints processed, more investigations opened, more cases ultimately investigated, and hopefully more reports," Madigan said, offering the reclassification as a way to rapidly increase investigatory capacity while the office is growing.

Madigan walked the board through nonpersonnel lines as well. She said contractual services were slated to rise from a placeholder of $5,000 in FY2026 to $28,700 in FY2027, with part of that amount covering a subscription to CLEAR (a Thomson Reuters investigative tool). She cited an estimated $277 per-user cost for CLEAR and said the budget breaks out roughly $7,000 to cover licensing. Madigan also proposed modest increases for printing and outreach ($3,000) and $10,000 for conference and seminar fees to support certification and continuing education through the Association of Inspector Generals (AIG).

Madigan explained several county-controlled chargeback lines: technology (laptops, monitors, phones) would be provided by the county with a chargeback expected in FY2028; building and contents insurance is set centrally by the budget office (shown at $3,000); and a recurring fleet mileage/maintenance charge of $6,100 was included to support an anticipated vehicle purchase. She told the board the budget office suggested using projected FY2026 salary savings — roughly $150,000, because hires began after Jan. 1 — to purchase a pool vehicle for witness interviews and investigative travel.

Board members asked about salary ranges, hiring timelines and membership fees for professional associations. Madigan said she expects to post for a deputy within weeks and to onboard that person before the end of the fiscal year; if the reclassification is approved she plans to post investigator positions in late spring so hires could start July 1 or soon after. On memberships, she said Howard County will cover her bar admission fee and that additional professional memberships (for example, certification through the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners) could be funded from training lines if pursued.

After questions, the chair moved that the Inspector General Advisory Board determine the Inspector General's proposed FY2027 budget provides sufficient funding to meet the duties of the office. The motion was seconded; board members indicated their support and the chair noted no abstentions or objections, declaring the motion passed. The chair said he would draft a letter on behalf of the board to the county executive and county council reflecting the board's action and circulate it to members before sending.

The board requested Madigan provide a fuller update on the office's activities at the board's next meeting, scheduled for March 5. The meeting adjourned with brief thanks and closing remarks.

Next steps: the advisory board's recommendation and accompanying letter will be forwarded to the county executive and county council as part of the FY2027 budget process.