Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Happy 2020! Our office has been busy this month, engaging in our daily work as auditors as well as taking time together to map out our goals and tasks for the year. At the beginning of January, we had our second annual staff retreat. In addition to revisiting the strategic plan we created last year, we spent time reflecting on what we accomplished in 2019 and how we can do better. I really value taking this time as a team, and I think it strengthens the work we do as auditors.
To learn more about what we did last year, check out our 2019 Annual Report. To see what we plan to do this year, take a look at our 2020 Audit Schedule, which includes an audit of adult care homes as well as conducting the county's ethical culture survey.
One other item of note: we are now on Instagram! You can follow us at @multcoauditor.
Read on to learn how you can apply to serve on the Board of County Commissioner's Audit Committee and about my recent trip to Salem to speak at the Oregon State Legislature.
Best,
Apply to Serve on the Audit Committee
The Audit Committee of the Board of County Commissioners is seeking a community member to serve on the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee serves as a liaison between the Board, the independent external auditor and management, as their duties relate to financial accounting, reporting and internal controls and compliance. The Committee assists the Board in reviewing county accounting policies and reporting practices as they relate to the county's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. My office serves as staff to the Audit Committee.
The Audit Committee is the county's agent in assuring the independence of the county's external auditors, the integrity of management, and the adequacy of disclosures to the public.
Applications will be accepted until 11:59 pm on Friday, March 6, 2020. If you need translation or an accommodation, or to request a paper application, please contact the Auditor's Office at (503) 988-3320 or email mult.auditor@multco.us.
Learn more about the Audit Committee
Apply to serve on the Audit Committee
Oregon Legislative Briefing
On January 14, I spoke at the Oregon State House's Human Services and Housing Committee about the findings of our Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Services Division (I/DDSD) audit to help state legislators understand how their funding decisions affect community members in Multnomah County. The audit found that I/DDSD's ability to provide quality care is at risk because of the number and pace of significant changes mandated by the state has created a complex funding system without properly funding it. The result has destabilized services at the county level through high caseloads and turnover, case manager strain and burnout, morale issues, and complaints from clients and their families.
In order for our audits to be useful and have a positive impact, we need to make sure people in our county and across Oregon have access to the information. I'm glad that I was able to share our results with state lawmakers.