Audit committee highlights corrective actions, recommends anonymous complaint system

Dr. Martha Robinson, chair of the Audit Committee, presented the committee's annual report, describing work on the FY24 audit, corrective-action planning and oversight of the internal audit function. She said the committee met with impacted departments to develop and monitor plans to prevent repeat findings and to increase accountability and transparency.

Robinson told the council the committee reviewed the city's ethics ordinance and recommended a process for anonymous reporting to encourage employees to report potential misconduct without fear of reprisal; the committee voted to approve pursuing that measure and staff is identifying and onboarding a vendor to provide the anonymous-reporting system. "We also spent time evaluating and recommending an anonymous reporting system," Robinson said during the presentation. Council thanked the committee for its work; an ethics ordinance amendment implementing anonymous complaints for employees later appeared on the agenda and was approved by the council.