The District’s inspector general is planning 93 audits and inspections during fiscal 2013, but three-quarters of those are carryovers from this year, an analysis by The Washington Examiner shows.
Although Inspector General Charles Willoughby laid out detailed plans for audits spanning the city’s government, 71 of his proposed investigations have been on tap for at least a year or are ongoing.
In a letter to D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, Willoughby said budget limitations often restrict the number of probes his office is able to conduct.
“The reality of having limited resources and the unknown priorities arising from exigencies throughout the year often determine how many audits or inspections we can ultimately initiate and complete in any fiscal year,” Willoughby said. “This is particularly true in today’s economic climate.”
Willoughby used the same wording in an August 2011 letter to Gray detailing his plans for this year.
In his plan, Willoughby said his office plans to pursue a broad range of audits in fiscal 2013, which begins Oct. 1. Willoughby’s strategy includes 10 audits linked to Medicaid, five reviews of education spending and six studies about tax collections.
So far this year, Willoughby’s office has issued several high-profile reports, including investigations of cheating in DC Public Schools and a review of the city’s controversial lottery contract.
But the office has also failed to issue significant reports on time, including a study of the Office of Tax and Revenue’s handling of commercial property assessments. Amid reports of increased settlements with commercial property owners and a criminal probe into the deals, The Washington Examiner first reported in August that the audit is more than 19 months behind schedule.
Kris Baumann, the leader of the District’s police union and a persistent critic of the inspector general, slammed Willoughby for what he said was stagnation.
“It would shock me if he actually put out an assertive, well-thought-out, effective plan and followed through with it,” Baumann said. “This is the sort of continuous churning that makes it look like they’re working while the city suffers.”
Baumann also said his concerns about Willoughby are not isolated to a small sliver of time.
“It’s not just a fiscal year. He has not made any progress during his tenure,” Baumann said of Willoughby’s time as the city’s internal watchdog, which began in 2005. “If you look at his record versus the number of scandals, he is so far behind the curve.”
