In general terms, an audit department should look at the things commissioners and department heads prefer to be left unknown. Some examples might have included reviewing the spending habits of the Board of Commissioners relating to park land purchases, the cost to construct Coolray Field to determine if the price Gwinnett paid was reasonable, or to ensure contacts are impartially awarded to the lowest bidder. An audit department could review the relationship of Partnership Gwinnett and the Chamber of Commerce to assess the value the county gets for the $500,000 contribution we make every year.
Gwinnett needs an audit department, and citizens need to know the department is independent. Gwinnett’s new audit department should report to an appointed citizens group made up of experienced financial and audit professionals residing in the county. The new audit department needs a charter granting the audit function independence and authority to perform meaningful audits to safe guard taxpayers’ interests.
If the BOC is serious about restoring trust in government, re-establishing an independent audit department is a good first step.
If you share our concern and would like to express your opinion directly to the Board of Commissioners please sign our petition, it will automatically generate an email to each commissioner.
Open meetings,a strong department charter, full disclosure of audit findings, and independent committee members hopefully will remove any politics.