The Howard County Council has established a Web site for reporting fraud, waste and abuse within county government, but officials said the move wasn’t an indication of any serious issues or prompted by a prior incident.
“It was really just about creating good government and giving people the ability to report things anonymously,” said Council Chairwoman Courtney Watson.
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The auditing staff recommended the move to the council, and the site started late last month, she said.
“We don’t think there’s a problem,” said Haskell Arnold, the county auditor. “We just want people to have the tools to report things.”
Officials said reported activity can include significant waste of county funds, kickbacks or bribery, or fraudulent travel.
Before, there was no clear avenue for residents or employees to direct their concerns, Arnold said. Calls may have gone to the county executive or to another more appropriate supervisor to then look into the issues, if appropriate.
Fraud referral systems have really become a trend among government agencies to deter illegal activity and to show county leadership’s commitment to protect public resources, Howard officials said.
In the region, Baltimore County, Baltimore City and the state Department of Legislative Service’s Office of Legislative Audits use similar systems.
Between February 2003 and November 2007, 13 percent of the Office of Legislative Audits’ cases from the fraud hot line were completed with investigations, and 35 percent were referred to other agencies with investigative units.
Other cases were still under investigation, referred to a future audit or investigation, or not pursued for a lack of evidence.
The system has been invaluable, officials said.
“It provides a mechanism for people to report things we otherwise wouldn’t have had,” said Tom Barnickel, deputy legislative auditor.
In Howard, reports of alleged improper or illegal activity will be investigated by the office of the Howard County auditor depending on the strength of supporting information.
When reporting allegations, officials said it’s useful to provide as much information as possible — such as the people involved, where, how, how often and how the suspicious activity was discovered — and to provide any documentation.
Investigations can take from a few weeks to several months. Those filing reports can check the status of any investigation by calling the office or through e-mail.
So far, there have been only two matters reported, and officials are still in the midst of getting more information, Arnold said.
Reports can be filed anonymously at howardcountymd.gov/countycouncil/cc_homepage.htm.
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