Dear Editor – Proposed Budgets and Lack of Follow Through

Dear Editor:

Today, the City Council considers the 2020/2021 Proposed Budget.

In the 2019/2020 Proposed Budget-Work Plans for the City Manager John Nachbar, states, “[T]he 2019 Enterprise Risk Assessment was completed and presented to the Finance Advisory Committee [] in November 2019, and will be presented to the City Council prior to June 2020.” A review of the City Council’s Meeting Minutes demonstrates that the City Council did not receive the Enterprise Assessment Report as promised.

A copy of the ERA cannot be located by searching the City’s website.

Moss Adams LLP, the City’s former Internal Auditor, spent several years preparing the ERA, and charged the City handsomely for its effort. Sections of the ERA deal with the City’s exposure to fraud, waste, and abuse senior staff members’ expectation of retaliation against whistle blowers.

Is the City Manager concerned that the City Council might learn, if it does not already suspect, that the City Manager has not been protecting us properly? Alternatively, has the City Manager been informed not to make the presentation; so that the City Council will not have to deal with the many problems expressed in the ERA?

The 2019/2020 Proposed Budget also states, “Staff continues to work on updating policies and procedures as recommended by the internal auditors [Moss Adams LLP], and the updated policies and procedures will be put into place in FY20/21.” One recommendation is that the City implements a fraud, waste, and abuse program independently managed by the Internal Auditor.

The City currently has no Internal Auditor and no visible plans to hire one. Its current FWA program is managed by those on Staff most likely to want to protect their friends.

Before his recent elevation, City Council Member Albert Vera, Jr., stated, “I’ve been listening to [Les Greenberg’s] concerns [about an FWA Program/Hotline] for quite some time and quite frankly; I am appalled that the current City Council has been dismissive [of his] suggestions.” Hopefully, he is still listening, and will take appropriate action.

Les Greenberg, Esquire