The head of a city watchdog agency said the cuts to his office proposed by Mayor Adrian Fenty’s are illegal and exposes the District’s taxpayers to fraud and abuse.
D.C. Inspector General Charles Willoughby said in written testimony that Fenty’s proposed 12 percent reduction in local funding “contravene” federal and district laws that protect the inspector general’s budget.
District Code says the OIG’s budget must be forwarded by the mayor to the council “without revision but subject to recommendations.”
The law was codified as part of federal efforts to safeguard the city’s watchdog efforts from mayoral interference, according to city staff.
Willoughby said Fenty’s cuts, which are part of the mayor’s efforts to bridge a $500 million budget gap, are “counterproductive” because the OIG saves taxpayers millions each year.
Fenty’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Last fiscal year, the inspector general’s audit division “achieved monetary benefits” of more than $50 million, its Medicaid fraud division recovered $2.1 million, and its investigations arm led to convictions in which $127 million was ordered repaid to the District, Willoughby said.
In one audit of the Office of Unified Communications, the OIG discovered numerous questionable or unjustified purchases, including $15,000 to clean and maintain chairs and $59,365 for uniforms worn by employees who do not meet with the public.
The OIG has about 120 staff and investigates and audits various city programs and departments, and currently has a total budget of about $17.5 million. Fenty wants to would trim that budget to $15.8 million.
The proposed cuts would reduced funding for four staff members and eliminate raises. Willoughby said the raises were needed incentives to keep and attract his staff, many of whom are leaving to work in higher-paying jobs.
Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh, chairwoman of the Government Operations and the Environment Committee that oversees the OIG’s budget, said Fenty’s cuts were not “justified.”
“We have to know that there are watchdogs there because it serves as a deterrent,” Cheh said.
Cheh’s committee gave initial approval to the mayor’s cuts, but her staff said she’s looking to restore funding for the OIG’s budget.
Some council members and the mayor have frequently clashed over good-government issues, with council members accusing Fenty of abandoning his earlier pledges of reform.
“Rhetoric is one thing, but reality is another,” Cheh said.
