Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As summer is winding down and we get ready for fall, my team and I have been gearing up for our first-ever open houses. We hope you will join us!
We will have an in-person open house on September 18 from 12-1:30 p.m. We will follow this with a virtual open house on September 26 from 12-1 p.m.
At both open houses, we will share information on our office’s history and current work, feature resources offered by our office, and offer opportunities to raise questions and ideas we should look into during our audits of county operations and financial affairs. Refreshments will be provided.
Learn more and RSVP here.
I hope to see you in September!
Jennifer
Recently issued reports
This month we published a number of reports about our work to promote accountable, equitable county government.
County Ombudsperson’s 2023 annual report
This report provides an overview of the ombudsperson’s role and describes several cases that unfolded after the Ombudsperson joined the Auditor's Office at the end of May 2023.
Hotline tip report follow up: Animal Services should use donation funds for their intended purposes
This report followed up on a June 2023 report about Animal Services’ use of its restricted-use donation accounts. For the follow-up report, Hotline Director Marc Rose found that Animal Services significantly increased spending from the restricted-use donation accounts between July 1, 2023 and May 1, 2024, but the increased spending was primarily the result of shifting existing expenses – which in years past had been paid for with General Fund money – to the donation accounts.
For example, the Spay/Neuter Fund is supposed to supplement spay/neuter surgeries for pet owners in financial need, as described in a board resolution and Animal Services’ website. But between July 1, 2023 and May 1, 2024, Animal Services mostly spent from the fund for spaying and neutering of adopted animals. Financial need was not a consideration.
The primary expense of the Adoption Outreach Fund was personnel costs of the Program Communication Coordinator. This position had previously been paid for by General Fund dollars. Animal Services’ website reads that the fund “helps us promote and increase adoptions of shelter animals." While we acknowledged that the Program Communication Coordinator’s job may have an effect to highlight adoptable animals, this way of spending money is solely an accounting change.
The purpose of the donation accounts is to expand, enhance, and supplement services for animals and community members through innovative pilot programs, not replace General Fund support.
Recommendation Status Evaluation - Animal Services: Several recommendations implemented, some still in process
Through this evaluation, Audit Director Nicole Dewees and Performance Auditor Dani Bernstein found that Animal Services had implemented 8 of 15 recommendations that remained from a 2018 follow-up audit.
The implemented recommendations included instituting a comprehensive enrichment program to ensure animals receive daily social contact, mental stimulation, and physical activity. Also positive was that Animal Services has been conducting daily rounds for animals with medical and/or behavioral needs.
We found seven recommendations were in process. These included ensuring that the shelter can accept all animals brought to it by county residents and Animal Services’ own animal control officers. Animal Services has not been accepting all cats from county residents. And, despite hiring more employees, the shelter still has not had enough staff to consistently meet national staffing guidelines for feeding animals and cleaning their housing.
The team also examined spay and neuter practices. During previous audits, Animal Services was spaying and neutering animals prior to adoption. But they have had fewer veterinary staff in recent years and have been unable to spay and neuter all animals before adoption. Animal Services began giving vouchers to pet adopters that could be used for spaying/neutering at participating community vet clinics. Animal Services did not follow up with pet owners to make sure they have spayed or neutered their pets, which is a “must” national standard for shelters unable to spay and neuter pets prior to adoption. The Auditor’s Office recommended that Animal Services return to spaying and neutering all eligible animals prior to adoption by March 1, 2025.
Future of Work Initiative: Informational report on changes to the Multnomah County workplace brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic
This informational report covers how Multnomah County adopted telework for many positions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and describes telework’s ongoing benefits and challenges. For years after the county made significant and abrupt changes to how and where employees do their work, over 40% of county employees continue to work from home for at least a portion of their workweek. Telework has brought benefits to the workforce, though some employees report challenges with its implementation. We found that staff disagreed about when and whether they should be required to work in-person, and some managers were experiencing challenges with supervising employees in a telework environment. Performance Auditor Dani Bernstein worked on the informational report with Principal Auditor Mark Ulanowicz (now retired) and Audit Director Caroline Zavitkovski.
Welcoming College-to-County (C2C) Interns
Gelsi Tuz-Uxul, a native Portlander from the Cully and Killingsworth neighborhood, is a 2024 graduate of Warner Pacific University. This May, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Community Engagement with a minor in Digital Media. Her next step is to continue her education at Warner Pacific University, where she plans to pursue a Master of Organizational Leadership. Gelsi's college has seen her in various leadership roles, earning her the Milo L. Chapman Award for Service in recognition of her achievements and community contributions, which include mentoring new students through their first year of college, serving her community through the residential assistant role, volunteering at recruitment events, and sharing her art on banners for special events. She enjoys listening to music, reading, journaling, exploring travel locations in Oregon, and participating in art through drawing and graphic design. She has an extensive background in graphic design, community organizing, public safety, mentorship/leadership, community engagement, and community development.
Gelsi will be completing her summer College-to-County (C2C) internship in September 2024.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers/Ella
Kate Milne graduated from Lewis & Clark College this May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology/Anthropology as well as a minor in Entrepreneurship. While there, they were a captain of the swim team, and director of operations for the Palatine Support Network, a student run organization providing peer support groups and other forms of free mental health support to students. Originally from the Bay Area in California, they are sticking around in Portland for the foreseeable future. They are interested in the field of nonprofits, and are focusing on supporting causes they are passionate about through fundraising and event planning. In their free time, Kate likes to read, blog, dance, bike, and swim. Kate will continue to work with Cheryl Taylor, the County Ombudsperson, until late September 2024, connecting her with local nonprofit partners and hosting voter registration events within those spaces.
Pronouns: They/Them
Photo: Philippine Chamber of Commerce of Orgon (PACCO) annual rooftop networking event, with community members, including Karen Ehn, Multnomah County Salary Commissioner, the third person on the right, and Raymond De Silva, Constituent Relations and DEI Engagement Specialist on the right. Photo credit: PACCO
Community Engagement
This month, Constituent Relations & DEI Engagement Specialist Raymond De Silva and I had the pleasure of attending the annual PACCO Rooftop Networking Event. It was a fun way to learn about the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon’s members and services and to share how the Auditor’s Office strives to serve the community through trustworthy information about county government.
On August 13, Ombudsperson Cheryl Taylor and Ombudsperson College-to-County (C2C) Intern Kate Milne spent the afternoon at p:ear doing community outreach through a voter registration drive. Located in the Pearl District, p:ear is a local nonprofit that focuses on providing art, education, and recreation resources to "youth moving through and beyond homelessness." Cheryl and Kate worked with the Multnomah County Voter Education and Outreach Specialist Scotty Sherington to plan several voter registration events with both p:ear and Rose Haven, another local nonprofit, as a way of educating the community members about how the role of the County Ombudsperson can serve them.
On August 20, Constituent Relations and DEI Engagement Specialist Raymond De Silva and Management Auditor Sura Sumareh represented our office at the Community Resource Fair, at Woodmere Elementary. The event supported families and the surrounding community, as students are welcomed back to school.
If you’d like me and or staff to attend or speak at a meeting with your community group, simply fill out this form.
