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Thursday, May 24, 2012
Council members want to be city auditor's boss
by Kathleen Haley, published on April 21, 2009 at 11:20 PM
Storyline: Sacramento City Hall / Politics
Community Tags
city auditor
city council
kevin johnson
kevin mccarty
local
politics
sacramento
steve cohn
The auditor of Sacramento’s city government now reports to the city manager, but City Council members Tuesday said the auditor should answer to them.
Council members said they could create a more transparent process if they direct the city’s auditor to report to the City Council and mayor, instead of reporting to the city manager.
The city is currently looking for a new auditor to replace Marty Kolkin, who is leaving Sacramento in May to take a job in Santa Monica’s city government.
Council members asked city staff Tuesday to analyze the option of making the auditor answer to the City Council and mayor.
The auditor position was created in 2002, City Councilman Steve Cohn said, and was organized to report to the city manager as an effort to establish the new post quickly.
“I think the time has come where we need to be real clear that the auditor should report to mayor and council,” Cohn said. “To me, there shouldn’t be any grey area here. That’s no disrespect to the city manager or anyone else. I just think that’s the right model for an independent auditor.”
Council members repeatedly praised Kolkin for his work, but Councilman Kevin McCarty also delivered criticism.
“I think you’ve always been straightforward,” McCarty said, adding that he trusted Kolkin. “But in the back of my head, you’re kind of a company man.”
McCarty said Kolkin represents the city government and not always the City Council.
Mayor Kevin Johnson was the lone voice in support of the auditor continuing to answer to the city manager.
It would be the “clearest and most efficient way” for the auditor to continue to report to the city manager.
Johnson said that if the City Council took over the supervision of the auditor, work would take much longer to complete.
He also said the council should have decided to hire an outside firm in January to conduct an audit because the process would have been efficient.
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Tuesday night, CM Kerridge announced Marty Kolkin’s pending departure May 20th 2009 to Santa Monica.
Quite sudden given Marty’s testimony in February regarding the pending maternity leave of the only other auditor and the fact that he had actively been seeking (with the approval of the CM) two new assistant auditors to assist HIM with this current year audits (PD, SFD & DSD). So Marty’s gone, new assistant auditors being hired to assist a Managing Internal Auditor- who’s GONE.
Does something seem all too convenient? …especially if a cut and gut firm from New York suddenly reappears offering to save the day…which did get re-iterated by Mayor Johnson Tuesday night- that had his “free” audit been accepted by the council back in January…this would not be a problem now.
Remember that no RFP proposal firm whose claim to fame is restructuring? Facts, (not a free audit, no RFP and no Bid single source proposed) that both Councilmembers Fong and McCarty reminded the mayor about Tuesday night. McCarty went so far as to remind KJ that as the mayor, he has had the ability to agendize that discussion about an independent outside audit RFP since January.
Sort of non sequitur to complain about an action not taking place that in effect you had the ability to make happen… I guess you could say the ball has been in the mayor’s court or 3rd floor bull pen. The net effect, with Marty Kolkin’s departure the city will have but a shell of an audit department & this years audits are falling farther behind. As a former local radio host would say-Smell Test?
This item is worth a viewing of the video on the City’s website. Council Meeting 4-21-2009 Jump to item 22.