For years, DeKalb County commissioners have had the power to hire a watchdog to look beyond the financial statements to make sure government is working.
They haven’t done it.
Now a grand jury is taking up the battle to get an internal auditor on board to help restore public trust. Its recent report called for expedited hiring to fill that post. But political differences and fears that the job itself could carry too much power — the main reasons the idea stalled after it was first proposed in 2010 — leave its future uncertain.
“It’s unbelievable that there is no oversight,” said Albert Trujillo, the retiree who served as foreman of the special grand jury. “It’s unbelievable you wouldn’t make that happen.”
If a financial auditor explains the numbers, the internal auditor – also called a performance auditor – explains what those numbers mean.
Commissioner Jeff Rader, who has advocated longest for the position, argues that sort of analysis could have revealed any pattern of wrongdoing such as suspended CEO Burrell Ellis is accused of: steering county contracts to supporters and punishing perceived enemies.
Rader’s proposal failed to gain traction for years, as he didn’t win over other commissioners. One concern is that his proposal gives the auditor power to seek a court order to compel testimony or information.
Rader said that power is critical because, under DeKalb’s CEO structure, only the elected chief executive has the power to grant full access to documents, records or staffers.
“The administration could tell an auditor to pound sand if they have things they don’t want to tell,” Rader said. “It’s high time we make it clear that we’re serious about reforming that.”
Others, including commissioners who are usually Rader’s allies, aren’t so sure. Commissioner Kathie Gannon, for example, has cautioned against expecting “any one single change” to repair DeKalb’s reputation and operations.
And now, Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton has filed a counterproposal based in part on her personal experience in the spotlight.
After making headlines for struggles such as bouncing checks and losing her home to foreclosure, Sutton said she opposes the potential subpoena power because it could allow for witch hunts.
“I want to make sure the auditor is independent but it can’t be used for political gain,” Sutton said.
Most commissioners have signaled their support for the concept, but three weeks after the grand jury report calling for the county to hire such a watchdog, it remains unclear which proposal has the support to advance. Commissioners are scheduled to discuss both ideas in committee on Tuesday, though a vote could be weeks if not months away.
Interim CEO Lee May has said he is eager for either proposal, which could be adjusted later if needed.
“We should be looking to build that accountability quickly,” May said.
DeKalb has to look only next door for potential pitfalls in setting up the job – as well as a national model on how to do it right.
Fulton County created an internal investigator’s job in 2009. One of the sole auditor’s first findings: an alleged scheme that siphoned more than $183,000 in taxpayer dollars into four employees’ pockets. No criminal charges were ever filed.
A lawsuit contends when that auditor and a deputy county manager announced plans to turn the evidence over to the district attorney, the county manager ordered them to back off. The auditor was later demoted and the deputy manager fired.
Those two filed the suit, and Fulton County officials declined to discuss the matter because the litigation is pending.
To the advocacy chairman of the Association of Local Government Auditors, though, Fulton is a textbook case of why auditors must be considered independent of an administration and have full access to information.
“The job is essentially to provide assurances to taxpayers that their scarce tax dollars are being protected,” said Jay Poole, who has served as city auditor in Chesapeake, Va. for two decades. “Anything that undermines that confidence challenges your ability to do your job.”
Poole cites Atlanta as one of the models nationwide for ensuring that public trust.
The city’s auditor, Leslie Ward, reports to a committee of residents, partially controlled by City Council. Ward is up for appointment every five years – a lag to the local election cycle intended to keep the post from being too tied to local politics.
Beyond that, though, Ward has worked to hire attorneys and MBAs and a part-time CPA to her eight-member office. That broad scope has yielded both national awards and a harsh look at spending by city councilmembers. DeKalb would start off smaller, with $100,000 to first hire an auditor alone, though staff could gradually be added.
Among Ward’s recent reports: calling for the closing of Atlanta’s agency charged with matching low-income workers and local companies, after finding widespread problems; and flagging problems with how city police report millions of dollars collected in evidence during arrests.
All of the reports are available online.
“More people than you realize know we’re here and are hungry for this information,” Ward said. “I think the advantage in DeKalb is now you have citizens realizing they are missing this and willing to be visible about having someone do the investigative work.”
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