Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We issued several reports this month that I am pleased to share with you. The ethical culture survey report, described in detail below, contains a lot of important information about how county employees experience the county’s ethical culture.
I was particularly concerned that over 40% of employees who took the survey believed that the rules at the county don’t apply to everyone equally. There is an impression that people at the higher levels of the organization are not held accountable for their actions. This is a real problem that negatively impacts employee morale and ethics on a countywide basis.
And unfortunately, this sentiment is not new. It is something my office has been reporting to county management, and to you, for years now. It is critical that county management take steps to demonstrate that accountability is not just for line staff, but also applies to all managers and county leaders. My team and I will continue to track this issue and report to you on progress in this area (or the lack thereof). You can also let your County Commissioners know that accountability within the county government matters to you, and that you expect your public servants to act with integrity and high ethical standards.
Thank you,
Jennifer
Ethical culture survey report
In the fall of 2024, we sent a survey to all county employees to learn about how they perceive the county’s ethical culture. We received responses from 3,173 employees, about 46% of the county workforce. This month, we published our report on the survey, 2024 Ethical Culture Survey: Employees said they feel the rules don’t apply to everyone equally, worry about retaliation for speaking up, and need more guidance on how to report unethical behavior.
We found that less than half of employees said they believed the county will fully investigate or follow through with discipline for unethical behavior, and that only 1 in 3 feel the rules at the county apply to everyone equally. Additionally, while over three-quarters of employees said they would be willing to report unethical behavior, nearly a quarter feel they would face retaliation for reporting. And, we found statistically significant differences in the way employees experienced the ethical culture depending on race and ethnicity, gender and transgender identification.
I have shared the report with all county employees, including my fellow elected leaders, to help ensure there is a shared understanding of the areas in which leadership needs to improve the county organization’s ethical culture. Survey results also help my office determine which county operations we need to audit, in order to support a strong ethical culture at the county.
Hotline annual report
We released our annual report on Good Government Hotline activities. In 2024 we received 32 reports of suspected fraud, waste, or abuse of position in county government. This was an increase of 88%, as we received 17 such reports in 2023. In addition to providing statistics about our 2024 hotline activities, the report recaps hotline-related publications we issued, as well as how we process and investigate reports.
Ombudsperson annual report
My office has released the Ombudsperson annual report for 2024. This annual report covers community outreach efforts, statistical information on the reports made to the Ombudsperson by members of the community, and examples of work done to assist county residents with resolving issues related to Multnomah County programs and departments.
Report on the status of evaluations related to pandemic-funds management
This month we also published our report on the status of recommendations related to pandemic funds management. I included this evaluation in my 2025 audit schedule because, while the focus of the audit was on pandemic specific funding, the principles of the findings still applied generally to controls around county spending. We found that the county implemented three of the five recommendations from the 2021 audit titled Pandemic Funds: Management has policies and procedures in place to manage pandemic funds. While the county did not implement the other two recommendations, there are other processes and controls that are in place, planned to be implemented, or that management has enhanced since the audit to help mitigate the issues identified.
Hotline Community Engagement Internship opening
Join our team as a College-to-County (C2C) intern! Do you know someone who is passionate about community engagement? The Good Government Hotline is seeking an intern to assist in community engagement to provide education and resources.
Submit an application!
https://bit.ly/C2CHotlineApply
Community Engagement
On March 28, County Ombudsperson Cheryl Taylor and Ombudsperson Intake Specialist Kate Milne tabled at The Rosewood Initiative's Health and Wellness Fair. They offered educational materials and community resources that assist community members in navigating county systems to obtain health and wellness programs.
On March 11, they tabled at The Community for Positive Aging for a second time since December, in the Hollywood neighborhood. They shared how the ombudsperson is a neutral third party that can help community members who are having problems with county programs.
Siniva Bennett, performance auditor, joined other Ethnic Studies alumni at the University of Oregon on February 28th, for a career panel for undergraduate students hosted by the Indigenous, Race and Ethnic Studies (IRES) Department. Panelists shared about the impact of an Ethnic Studies education on their career and lives. They offered insights to undergrads on what advice they would have given to their younger selves as well as career advice. Students also learned about Multnomah County's College to County internship program.
If you’d like me and or staff to attend or speak at a meeting with your community group, simply fill out this form.