Auditor releases report on EthicsMatters Hotline

Sponsored by: Auditor's Office

Last month Washington County Auditor John Hutzler released his audit of the County's EthicsMatters Hotline. He found that (1) County policies and procedures satisfied most, but not all requirements of the state law authorizing local governments to create hotlines for the reporting of government inefficiency, waste and abuse, (2) County employees usually, but not always, followed County policy and procedures for the hotline, and (3) the County adopted many best practices for hotline administration, but opportunities for improvement remain.

The County Auditor recommended, in part, that the County Administrator improve the visibility of the hotline, broaden its scope to include inefficiency, waste and abuse by County contractors, and enhance employee ethics training. The County Administrator intends to fully implement all eight of the Auditor's recommendations by June 30, 2017.