Performance Audits Begin in SL County

The last four years have not been the best as far as the relationship between the Salt Lake County Council and the Salt Lake County Auditor. For the last four years the Council and the Auditor have not attempted or completed any performance audits in the County. These performance audits are an integral part of our legislative duty to residents of Salt Lake County. When an audit is completed, it helps us as the Council see if programs are working, if allocated funding has been spent properly, and if there are places for improvement to a particular department or program.

Just before I joined the council, my colleagues had funded, but not filled, a position in the council office for a full time auditor. When Scott Tingley was elected as the County Auditor, he met with Council members and discussed his plans for cooperation in working in tandem with the Council. He would only work within the scope and direction that the Council set for him and this would be on a trial basis for one year to see if all parties are satisfied. I fully support letting the Auditor’s office do this important job so we can see how it works. The Mayor and the Council have routinely agreed that if there is an area in government that isn’t working well then it should be changed. This is a great way to follow through on our commitment to our residents.

On Tuesday, March 17 the Council met and debated the merits of having the Auditor’s office begin doing performance audits. Ultimately the council voted to have Tingley’s office perform these three audits:

• The voting machines are getting old and too expensive to maintain. The Auditor will look at the cost of replacing them and procedures surrounding their maintenance and upgrade. He will assess what the best options for the County will be in the near future. The timeframe for completing the audit will be 2-3 months. 
• The metro jail health clinic. This audit is anticipated to take 3-6 months to complete. 
• The Day Reporting Center (DRC) provides an alternative to jail at both the pre and post trial levels. Individuals currently sentenced to the Salt Lake County Jail for a misdemeanor conviction may serve a portion of their sentence in the community under the supervision of the DRC. The DRC offers a more intensive case management system coupled with treatment, educational, and employment services. This audit will take 9-12 months to complete.