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Commissioners press auditor and call for inspector‑general oversight after weights-and-measures investigation
Summary
Commissioners pressed the county auditor about delayed audits for constitutional offices and urged the new inspector‑general mechanism and a committee to examine internal controls after the weights‑and‑measures bribery case; the auditor said audits are current through different years and will furnish documentation.
Several commissioners used the meeting to press county administrators and the auditor about delayed audits and the need for stronger oversight after a recent criminal case involving the weights‑and‑measures office.
Commissioner O'Dea (functional label in the transcript) raised alarms that multiple constitutional offices were behind on audits — saying some offices were two or three years behind — and asked the auditor to provide a written explanation for the delays before the board votes on related budgets. The auditor, Mark Benartz (Donahue, Geronda, Doria & Tompkins), confirmed he was available remotely and said audits were current through different cutoff years: the clerk's audit was completed in March (final report pending), the register's office audits had draft work through 2023 under review, and the sheriff's office audits were current through 2022 with drafts not yet issued.
The discussion followed the board's earlier acknowledgment of an ongoing investigation into the weights‑and‑measures department and public comments praising the prosecutor's office and law department for taking action. One commissioner said the auditor and the incoming inspector general should "work hand in hand" to put controls in place; the same speaker urged a review of banking controls after noting an LLC with a government‑style name failed to trigger red flags at a bank.
Board members asked the administration to provide the outstanding audit reports and to explain why some audits lagged, and at least one commissioner asked the administration to explore legal recourse against banks that may have processed diverted funds.
Why it matters: commissioners are exercising oversight over county finances and internal controls at a time when a criminal investigation has exposed weaknesses in a departmental procurement and payment process. The audit status affects budget votes and the board's ability to evaluate municipal recipients that receive county funding.
What's next: the auditor agreed to provide documentation and the board discussed forming a committee and coordinating audit work with the inspector general and county counsel.
