Long Beach City Auditor Laura Doud this week released the City Auditor’s Office 2015 Annual Work Plan, the first plan of its kind for the Office, to show the specific audits planned in 2015. The focus of the plan, released March 4, is to foster a cooperative and collaborative working relationship between the city auditor’s office and the mayor, city council and City staff with a goal of increasing public involvement and maximizing the effectiveness of City Services, according to Doud’s office.
The Work Plan outlines the audit process and identifies methods that Doud’s office uses to increase value to Long Beach, including performance audits, the City Auditor’s Fraud Hotline, benchmark studies, monitoring the City’s disbursements and finances, and expanding transparency and public involvement.
“As I continue my service in the city auditor’s office, I want the residents of Long Beach to know that all of us in the office understand that we are stewards of their tax dollars,” Doud said. “We take this responsibility very seriously. Our goal is to work collaboratively to ensure City resources are maximized, identify ways to operate more efficiently, and bring excellence to all City services.”
The 2015 Annual Work Plan describes six key objectives: increasing awareness and engagement with the public; identifying audit projects based on risk and impact assessments; benchmarking reports on key City issues in relation to other similar cities; maximizing the value of the City Auditor’s Fraud Hotline; enhancing internal processes to continually meet the highest quality standards; and meeting requirements that the city charter and municipal code assign to the city auditor.
The Annual Work Plan describes a number of specific tasks to measure the success of these objectives and also identifies specific audits that are planned for 2015, Doud said. She notes in the Plan’s cover letter that the amount of work projected in the Plan is possibly more than can be accomplished in one year, considering resources and unforeseen issues that may arise and take precedence. She further explains that to ensure priorities are met, the Annual Work Plan will be reviewed throughout the year and adjustments made.
“As the independent city auditor, my staff and I are here to serve the needs of the public and to be the watchdog of their tax dollars,” Doud said. “I am very hopeful that publication of this Annual Work Plan will enable the public to more clearly understand the work the city auditor’s office performs. We want all of the City’s stakeholders to know this is an open and cooperative process that is designed to improve our City government.”
The complete Long Beach City Auditor’s Office 2015 Work Plan can be found at the City Auditor’s website at CityAuditorLauraDoud.com . Printed copies can be requested by e-mail at auditor@longbeach.gov or by phone at (562) 570-6751.
Source: City auditor’s office
