Montgomery County’s top watchdog is seeking more input from county residents in deciding which government operations to keep an eye on. In his work plan for fiscal 2012 and 2013, new Inspector General Edward Blansitt suggests creating an informal advisory committee of five to seven county residents with management, information technology, financial, auditing and legal backgrounds. The committee would meet no more than twice a year to propose areas that Blansitt, the county’s inspector general since April, should investigate.
Ultimately, Blansitt’s office would make decisions about what to audit, he said. “The advisory committee is simply there to give us the benefit of their thoughts.”
The idea for the panel came out of a June meeting with the Montgomery County Taxpayers League, he said, but was also motivated by a desire to better publicize the Fraud Hotline, where residents can leave anonymous tips about fraud, waste and abuse.
A new opportunity for community members to participate in their government is a good thing, said Councilwoman Nancy Navarro, D-Eastern County and chairwoman of the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee.
However, she said she is concerned that resident involvement in the inspector general’s audits could generate confidentiality issues. Blansitt should never discuss an ongoing audit with people outside his office. “They need to be kept confidential until the inspector general is ready to report his findings.”
She also said the advisory committee could raise questions about impartiality.
“There’s always the fine line of who’s driving the inspector general’s work plan,” she said. “The inspector general should be the ultimate person who decides the work plan and the issues.”
Blansitt — who reports to the council — was also concerned with impartiality, which is why he does not want the council or the county executive to be responsible for forming the committee, he said.
That said, Blansitt sought input from the council members before devising his plan and many of the council members’ suggestions were incorporated, according to a council staff member.
Blansitt’s two-year agenda proposes 10 subjects for new audits including property tax collection, county employees’ “purchase cards” and wage law enforcement. He also mentioned three ongoing audits: non-public safety government-owned vehicles, the county Ethics Commission and a financial audit of Montgomery County Public Schools.
“This is a good place to start,” said Chief Administrative Officer Tim Firestine, whose office oversees many of the operations Blansitt proposed keeping an eye on.
Taxpayers League President Joan Fidler said she also would like Blansitt to examine whether tax abatement policies have the intended benefits for the county and to perform a more extensive performance audit of MCPS, rather than just a financial audit.
