* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. ALL [00:00:01] RIGHT, [Ad Hoc Committee on General Investigating and Ethics on November 18, 2025.] IT IS 1 0 5 AND I AM CALLING TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON GENERAL INVESTIGATING AND ETHICS. OUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS. ACTUALLY, I'M GONNA START, I THINK WITH JUST A COMMENT, SINCE THIS COMMITTEE HASN'T MET FOR A WHILE. UM, AS MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL, WE REALLY HAVE NOTHING WITHOUT THE PUBLIC'S TRUST. THE CITY OF DALLAS CHARTER CALLS OUT TO THE PUBLIC. ACCOUNTABILITY IN MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT IS ASSURED. AND TO DATE, THE CITY OF DALLAS AUDITOR MARK SWAN AND THE ETHICS ADVISORY COMMISSION, CHAIRED BY TOM PERKINS, HAVE BEEN PART OF THE EQUATION TO REVIEW ISSUES AND ADVISE THE COUNCIL IN ORDER TO ENSURE ETHICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY PREVAIL. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INDEPENDENT OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL WITH THE BACKING OF THE PUBLIC'S VOTE WAS INTENDED TO FURTHER THIS PRINCIPLE. NOW, FROM THE CHARTER, IT ALSO SAYS, NOW THE INSPECTOR GENERAL SHALL SERVE AS AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATIVE AUTHORITY REGARDING MISCONDUCT INVOLVING FRAUD, CORRUPTION, ETHICS, WASTE, AND ABUSE. IN CREATING AN INDEPENDENT OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL, THERE ARE AND WILL BE NEEDS FOR POLICY IN ORDER TO OPERATE WITH PURPOSE AND CLARITY. AND TODAY, WE WILL CONSIDER AND ADVISE THE INTERIM IG BARON ELIASON ON A PROCESS MATTER. AND IN COMING WEEKS AND MONTHS, WE WILL FULFILL THE CHARGE OF REVIEW OF CHAPTER 12 A OF THE CITY CODE TO AMEND, REVISE, OR SUBTRACT AS NECESSARY THE WORDS THE CITY COUNCIL, CITY STAFF, AND THOSE WHO DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY MUST LIVE BY. WE WILL ALSO EXPLORE THE STRUCTURE OF THE OIGS OFFICE WITH REGARD TO INTERNAL INVESTIGATIVE RESOURCES AND THE OPTIONS THE INSPECTOR GENERAL MUST TURN TO, SHOULD A MATTER BE CRIMINAL AND THE IMPLICATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT STATUS. AT EACH TURN, WE ARE EDUCATING THE PUBLIC AS WELL AS INTERNAL AUDIENCES THAT THE CITY OF DALLAS TAKES ETHICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY SERIOUSLY. AND THAT HONOR, INTEGRITY, AND TRUST ARE GOALS TO STRIVE FOR EVERY DAY. MS. BLAIR, CAN YOU JOIN US FOR APPROVING MINUTES? OUR FIRST AGENDA ITEM IS TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON GENERAL INVESTIGATING AND ETHICS FROM MAY 2ND, 2024. IS THERE A MOTION? MOTION TO APPROVE? SECOND. SECOND. ALRIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? NAY. THANK YOU. THE MOTION PASSES. ALRIGHT, SO THE NEXT ITEM IS ITEM A, AND THAT IS THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL PROCESS FOR ISSUING TRACKING AND FOLLOWING UP ON MANAGEMENT ALERTS RESULTING FROM CERTAIN OIG INVESTIGATIONS EARLIER THIS YEAR. THE OIG ISSUED TWO MANAGEMENT ALERTS, BUT BECAUSE THERE IS NO PROCESS FOR THEM TO FOLLOW, ONCE ISSUED, THEY HAVE LANGUISHED. THIS AGENDA ITEM IS TO HEAR FROM THE OIG ON A PROCESS THAT WILL PICK UP ON WHERE THE ISSUANCE OF AN ALERT LEAVES OFF. AND THIS WILL ENSURE THAT RECOMMENDATIONS ARE REVIEWED AND CONSIDERED. AND ALSO THAT COUNSEL WILL RECEIVE A FOLLOW UP REPORT ON HOW ANY RECOMMENDATIONS MAY HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED. SO, UM, INTERIM AS INSPECTOR GENERAL, UH, BARON ELIASON IS WITH US TODAY TO GIVE US A BRIEFING ON THIS PROCESS. THANK YOU. WELL, I WANNA THANK YOU ALL AND THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT WORK, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WALKING THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION WITH YOU. YOU SEE THE, THE COMMON OVERVIEW SLIDE HERE TO GIVE YOU THE, THE BIG PICTURE OF WHERE WE'LL BE GOING WITH, UH, JUST THE PURPOSE AND CONTEXT AND A DEFINITION OF WHAT A MANAGEMENT ALERT IS. UH, WANNA REVIEW SOME KEY PROVISIONS THAT ARE IN THERE AND YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED. UH, IT'S SOME, IT'S NOT REALLY A MODEL SOP OR STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE, BUT THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT IT IS. BUT, BUT WE DRAFTED IT, BUT IT'S SO THAT YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE THOUGHTS ARE AND NOT JUST HEAR ME SAY, WELL, WE'RE GONNA DEVELOP SOMETHING. YOU HAVE A REAL SENSE OF WHERE IT'S GOING. AND I THINK FROM THERE WE'LL BE REFINING THAT. UH, WE'LL BE ADDRESSING OVERSIGHT AND REPORTING, WHICH IS, UH, REALLY THE FULCRUM OF THIS WORK. UH, IF, IF, UH, THE ACCOUNTABILITY TREE FALLS IN THE FOREST AND NOBODY HEARS IT, THERE'S BEEN NO ACCOUNTABLE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE JUST GOTTA FOLLOW UP ON THESE THINGS. AND SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE NEXT BULLET POINT. UH, AND MAHA SPARKS IS HERE WITH, FROM AUDIT TO BE LOOKING AT HOW WE COLLABORATE ACROSS THE CITY IN A WAY THAT MAINTAINS CONFIDENTIALITY AND TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. AND THEN WE'LL LOOK AT SOME, SOME NEXT STEPS. SO I'M READY FOR THE NEXT SLIDE. BACKGROUND AND HISTORY. UH, SO AS YOU KNOW, OIG HAS, UH, AS THE DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM SAID, WE HAVE JURISDICTION OVER ETHICS, FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE. NOW, WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THAT IN THE CODE FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT IF IT'S A CRIMINAL MATTER, WE HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT, BUT WE DON'T HAVE JURISDICTION [00:05:01] OR LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. AND THAT'S, THAT'S A WHOLE NOTHER PROJECT THAT IS UNDERWAY. BUT THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND. BUT WE DO HAVE JURISDICTION AND, AND A LOT OF DIRECTION ABOUT ETHICS, UH, VIOLATIONS WHICH ARE COVERED IN THE CODE, AND THEN ABUSE AND WASTE. AND HONESTLY, BUT NOT ALL THE TIME, BUT A LOT OF THE TIME, THESE MANAGEMENT ALERTS ARE GONNA BE A WAY FOR US TO ADDRESS THAT, UH, WASTE AND ABUSE. BUT ANYWAY, SOME MATTERS ARE MORE APPROPRIATELY ADDRESSED BY MANAGEMENT. AND WE RUN INTO THAT ALL THE TIME. BUT WHEN WE LEARN OF SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT, THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED, WE NEED, WE WANT AN AVENUE TO ADDRESS IT. AND NOT JUST, I WAS A BASKETBALL PLAYER, WE'D CALL IT HOLY HOLY GULLY BASKETBALL, THAT'S MY FAVORITE KIND OF BASKETBALL. YOU KNOW, YOU JUST DRIVE DOWN THE LANE AND EVERYBODY FILLS IT IN AND THERE'S NO PLAY. BUT I DON'T THINK THAT WORKS AT THE CITY. WE WANNA PLAY. WE, WE WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW HOW IT WORKS. WE WANT EVERYONE TO AGREE WITH HOW IT SHOULD WORK AND GO IN THAT DIRECTION. AND SO, AS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT, UM, WE, UH, WE TALKED ABOUT, THERE WERE TWO MANAGEMENT ALERTS. THERE WAS ACTUALLY A THIRD, AND IT WAS CALLED A, A MANAGEMENT REVIEW. AND WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE SUBSTANTIVE DIFFERENCE? WELL, NOT MUCH, BUT THERE'S NO PROCESS, UH, TO GO THROUGH THAT. AND SO THAT'S GIVES YOU A SENSE OF, OF WHERE, UH, THIS PRESENTATION IS COMING FROM. UH, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT OR JURISDICTION OR ANYTHING? OKAY, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. PURPOSE. UH, I'VE REALLY TALKED ABOUT IT TO FORMALIZE A CONSISTENT PROCESS. UH, THE GOAL IS THE SAME GOAL THAT, THAT REALLY WE HAVE ACROSS THE BOARD IN THE IG. TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, FAIRNESS, DOING WHAT'S RIGHT. UH, WHY NOW? BECAUSE IT'S BUILDING ON THE MEMOS THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT WHERE WE DIDN'T GET THE FOLLOW UP THAT EVERYBODY DESERVES. AND THIS IS THE PERFECT TIME. I'M HERE TO DO INTERIM WORK. THIS IS GREAT INTERIM WORK. AND IT, AND IT COMPLIMENTS WHAT THE, UH, AUDITORS, CITY AUDITORS AND, UH, CITY COUNCIL OFFICES PROCESSES. THEY ALREADY HAVE A PROCESS EMBEDDED IN THEIR WORK FOR THIS KIND OF FOLLOW UP. NEXT SLIDE. SO, WHAT ARE MANAGEMENT ALERTS? UH, JUST EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE. UH, IF YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED AN ADVISORY OPINION, IT IS VERY SIMILAR TO THOSE. I GOT TO WRITE A LOT OF THOSE, UM, FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. AND IT'S JUST, HERE'S THE SITUATION. IT, IT IS NOT IDEAL. HERE IS WHAT WE LEARNED IN OUR INVESTIGATION. AND SO WE THINK THIS IS WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT IT IN ORDER TO MOVE THE CITY FORWARD. AT THAT POINT, THEN THE MANAGEMENT ALERT BECOMES A SOURCE OF ACTION FOR THE CITY. UH, MANAGERIAL AUTHORITY WILL BE THERE TO, UH, IMPLEMENT THE PLAN, AND IG WILL BE THERE AND SOMETIMES PARTNER WITH AUDIT AND CCO, UH, TO COLLABORATE ON MAKING SURE THINGS ARE FOLLOWED UP ON. AND THAT MANAGEMENT HAS A FAIR CHANCE TO DO THAT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. HERE'S SOME KEY PROVISIONS. THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY PROVISIONS, UH, BUT APPROVAL AND DOCUMENTATION, UH, THIS IS ALL GONNA BE LOCKED DOWN QUALITY ASSURANCE, UH, IN TERMS OF HOW THEY GET APPROVED. SO, AS AN EXAMPLE, IT'S, THERE WON'T BE AN INVESTIGATOR OR A, OR, OR EVEN LAURA PHELAN, WHO'S HERE, WHO JUST WRITES ONE. UH, AND, AND COME ON OVER IF YOU'D LIKE, BUT WHO JUST WRITES ONE AND IT GOES OUT. THIS WILL FLOW ALL THE WAY TO THE INSPECTOR GENERAL. IT WILL SUMMARIZE THE ISSUES AND THE FACTS. IT WILL GIVE MANAGEMENT FAIR NOTICE AND A CHANCE TO RESPOND. AND AGAIN, THAT TRACKING MECHANISM. UH, NEXT SLIDE. OVERSIGHT AND REPORTING. UH, RIGHT NOW, THE MECHANISM FOR REPORTING ON THESE THINGS IS, IS, UH, MANDATED ON THE IG TO MAKE QUARTERLY REPORTS. AND JUST A WORD ON THAT. UH, IN THE INTERIM, PART OF WHAT, UH, WE'RE WORKING ON IS, IS MAKING THOSE REPORTS, UH, MORE ROBUST. UH, BUT A PART OF DOING THAT IS GONNA BE ADDING THESE MANAGEMENT ALERTS ONCE THE PROCESS IS IS DONE. UM, QUALITY ASSURANCE, THAT JUST MEANS PROCESS. YOU KNOW, AT THIS POINT, I THINK I'M JUST REPEATING MYSELF AGAIN AND AGAIN ABOUT WHAT IT IS. BUT REPORTS WILL BE SUBJECT OF COURSE, TO PUBLIC INFORMATION ACCESS REQUESTS. AND I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW. I'M AWARE THAT THERE ARE SOME AUDITS THAT ARE NOT. UH, AND SO, YOU KNOW, JUST BY THE NATURE OF IT, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, THE DEPARTMENTS WILL HAVE DUTIES. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR ANY IG AS AN EXAMPLE, ACCESS TO INFORMATION. IT'S GOTTA BE DIRECT AND ALL INFORMATION. SAME THING WITH THESE, UH, MANAGEMENT NEEDS TO RESPOND. AND [00:10:01] SO WE'RE BUILDING IN A, A, A QUICK FIVE DAY. YES, I'VE RECEIVED IT PATTERN IN THERE. UH, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT MAKING SURE THAT THEY DO A GOOD FAITH REVIEW. THEY GET US BACK A RESPONSE IN 30 TO 60 DAYS. BUT, BUT I THINK REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME, THERE'S GONNA BE SITUATIONS WHERE THAT, THAT MAY NOT FIT. BUT, BUT THAT'S THE GOAL. AND THAT WE, UH, ADHERE TO 12 A PROVISIONS THAT ARE RELATED TO INVESTIGATIONS GENERALLY IN TERMS OF CONFIDENTIALITY, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. UM, SUBPOENA POWER THAT'S IN THE CODE, COLLABORATION WITH AUDIT, UH, OR MCC. THIS RIGHT NOW IN THE MODEL CODE THAT YOU, OR SOP STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE THAT YOU HAVE, UH, IT'S DESIGNED TO ALLOW FOR FLEXIBILITY. THERE WILL BE TIMES WHEN IT'S, IT'S APPROPRIATE FOR US TO ASK AUDIT TO, TO DO A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE LEGWORK ON THIS. UM, BUT THEY HAVE GENEROUS, THEY'VE BEEN GREAT, AND THEY'VE OFFERED TO ALLOW US TO USE THEIR SYSTEM SO WE WON'T HAVE TO BUY ANYTHING NEW. THEIR SYSTEM IS CALLED DILIGENT. WE CAN LEARN HOW TO USE THAT. AND, UH, SAME THING WITH MCO. WE CAN WORK WITH THEM ON THAT. UH, NEXT SLIDE. OKAY. SO THERE ARE YOUR NEXT STEPS. AND THIS IS, UH, THE KEY. WE WANT TO TAKE THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE AND BEGIN TO RECEIVE FEEDBACK ON IT, UH, FROM THIS COMMITTEE, FROM NOT EVERY DIRECTOR, BUT CERTAINLY THE FREQUENT FLYERS. UH, FOR INSTANCE, UH, WE'VE WORKED A LOT WITH, UM, PROCUREMENT AND WE'LL WORK A LOT WITH HR AND WE'LL, YOU KNOW, SO WE'LL PICK SOME OF THE FREQUENT FLYERS THAT WE WORK WITH A LOT AND MAKE SURE THOSE DIRECTORS UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS, WANT TO BE ENGAGED IN IT, AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. NOT THAT THEY WILL DICTATE WHAT ENDS UP IN THE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES, BUT WE WANT FEEDBACK THAT'S JUST A WISE GOVERNMENT. THEN WE'LL FINALIZE THE LANGUAGE. UH, WE'LL TRAIN OUR INVESTIGATORS AND ANALYSTS TO PREPARE THESE, UH, INCORPORATE THAT INTO OUR SOPS, AND THEN DETERMINE WHERE IN THE CODE OF ETHICS WE MIGHT NEED TO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS BECAUSE OF THIS STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. AND ONE THAT I ANTICIPATE IS ALMOST A GIVEN, OR IT IS A GIVEN, IS JUST TO, TO PUT IN THE, UH, CODE OF ETHICS THIS PROCESS SO THAT WE CAN POINT TO IT AND SAY IT'S THIS IS, WE ARE FOLLOWING A PROCESS AND WE'RE NOT JUST MAKING IT UP, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW. UM, AND THEN WE WILL COME BACK AND, UH, BRIEF DO WHATEVER NEEDS TO BE DONE WITH THE NEXT STEP. AND, AND I WOULD STAY IN CONSULTATION WITH DEPUTY MAYOR WILLIS, DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM WILLIS ABOUT THAT. AND THAT'S MY PRESENTATION. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I WILL START TO MY LEFT WITH COUNCIL MEMBER BLAIR, IF YOU HAVE SOME QUESTIONS. WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. UM, I HAVE QUESTIONS. WHEN, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO YOUR PROPOSED FOLLOW UP, IS THERE, WE, YOU KNOW, AS PEOPLE, WE APPRECIATE WHEN, UM, A RECEIPT, WHEN WE SEND THE EMAIL AS THE DATE THAT THE PROCESS STARTS, YOU'RE IN YOUR PRESENTATION, YOU'RE SAYING YOU WOULD DO A FOLLOW UP IN FIVE DAYS. IS IT NOT? IT IS NOT. THE OPPORTUNITY ACKNOWLEDGED RECEIPT OF ALERTS WITHIN FIVE DAYS. IT'S NOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY WE RECEIVED IT AND WE, WE WILL BEGIN WORKING ON IT. IT TELLS THEN THE PERSON THAT SENT THE ALERT, IT'S BEEN RECEIVED AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO SIT AND WONDER WHEN IS THE FIVE CA DAYS GONNA WORK WORK? IS IT FIVE DAYS, FIVE BUSINESS DAYS, FIVE CALENDAR DAYS? OKAY. YEAH, THAT NEEDS CLARIFICATION. EXACTLY. AND THE IDEA IS JUST TO PUT SOME KIND OF PROVISION IN HERE SO THAT AFTER FIVE CALENDAR DAYS, THAT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION. UM, WE KNOW IT'S TIME TO ESCALATE IF WE NEED TO AND SAY, HERE'S THE POLICY AND YOU'VE HAD FIVE DAYS TO SAY YOU RECEIVED IT AND YOU HAVEN'T RESPONDED. SO, UH, THAT'S A GOOD CLARIFICATION. YEAH, IT'S, AND THEN THE REPORTS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GIVE TO US MM-HMM . YOU, THEY'RE QUARTERLY REPORTS, BUT THAT, DOES THAT MEAN THAT GENERALLY SPEAKING, THERE IS NOT ENOUGH WORK FOR YOU TO SEND MORE FREQUENT REPORTS OPPOSED TO QUARTERLY REPORTS, MONTHLY REPORTS? SO THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. THERE IS ENOUGH WORK, AND WE DO HAVE, UH, A PATTERN. IT'S NOT REQUIRED UNDER THE CODE, BUT WE'RE, WE HAVE A PATTERN OF CREATING MONTHLY REPORTS. AND I'M, I'VE GOT ONE RIGHT NOW THAT'S [00:15:01] IN FINAL EDITING FOR THE LAST MONTH. AND SO WE'RE DOING MONTHLYS. SO IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOUR MONTHLY REPORTS BE SENT OUT TO US ON A MONTHLY BASIS? THAT WAY WE, WE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON INSTEAD OF ONCE EVERY THREE MONTHS, IT, THAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING. AND, AND IF THAT'S NOT HAPPENING, I'LL, I'LL MAKE SURE THAT'S HAPPENING. BUT THAT REALLY, YOU'RE THE TARGET AUDIENCE FOR THOSE MONTHLY REPORTS, TO BE FRANK. SO IF IT'S NOT HAPPENING, I'LL FIGURE IT OUT AND I'LL GET YOU ALL THE OLD ONES. WELL THEN IT MAY BE JUST THAT MY EMAIL MAY NOT HAVE BEEN RECEIVING THEM OR, BUT I WANT TO CHECK ON IT BECAUSE THAT, THAT'S MY PRIMARY GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. OKAY. SO THAT'S A CONCERN FOR ME. WE WILL FIGURE IT OUT. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, CHAIR STEWART. THANK YOU. UM, ALRIGHT, LET'S LOOK AT SLIDE SEVEN. UM, THE DUTIES OF DEPARTMENTS. UM, SO WHO IS GOING TO SORT OF MONITOR THAT, UM, THEY'VE ACKNOWLEDGED, RECEIVE, AND THEY'RE WORKING ON THEIR RESPONSE? OR DO YOU JUST STAY IN COMMUNICATION AND, AND LIKE WHO IN THE DEPART IN A DEPARTMENT WOULD RECEIVE THIS? WOULD IT BE MULTIPLE PEOPLE OR JUST THE DIRECTOR OR, THOSE ARE EXCELLENT QUESTIONS AND IT GETS TO THE HEART OF NOT AN INCIDENT, BUT, UH, IN THIS PROCESS OF SORT OF GIVING MANAGEMENT ALERTS, HOLY GULLY, UH, ONE OF THEM BYPASSED THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER AND WENT STRAIGHT TO THE CITY MANAGER. AND SO WE DIDN'T LIKE THAT, THAT IT HAPPENED THAT WAY. WE THINK THERE'S A BETTER WAY, AND THAT'S A PART OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS. I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER. I CAN TELL YOU WHAT I THINK IS BEST. UM, AND THE REASON I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER IS BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS OF TALKING TO EVERYBODY, BUT I WANT EVERYBODY TO HAVE A FAIR SHOT. UH, BUT I ALSO DON'T WANT, UH, THE SITUATION TO, TO HAPPEN WHERE YOU, MAYBE YOU GIVE THE REPORT TO SOMEBODY AND THEY SOMEHOW FIX EVERYTHING BEFORE THE PEOPLE. SO I THINK IT'S GONNA END UP THAT EVERYBODY GETS IT AND MANAGEMENT HAS A CHANCE TO RESPOND. THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE I THINK IT, IT IS HEADED, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. SURE, SURE, SURE, SURE. THAT DOES. UM, OKAY. I THINK I KIND OF HAVE A HANDLE. I THINK, I THINK WHAT YOU'RE ALLUDING TO AND WHAT WE KNOW IN THE CITY AND WHAT IS, THERE'S SO MUCH INFORMATION THAT WE SHARE WITH EACH OTHER, RIGHT. SO MUCH. AND, UM, IT'S HARD TO CATCH IT ALL AS A COUNCIL MEMBER. IT'S HARD TO CATCH IT ALL. SO I THINK KNOWING THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, PROBABLY ASSIGNING THAT TO ONE OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON THAT PARTICULAR, UM, COMMUNICATION WOULD BE HELPFUL. AND THEN MM-HMM . THEY CAN BRIEF ME ON THAT BECAUSE THERE'S JUST, LIKE I SAID, THERE'S JUST SO MUCH. SO THE MORE SPECIFICITY YOU CAN GIVE IT, LIKE, YOU KNOW THAT IN THE DEPARTMENTS IT'S ALWAYS GONNA GO TO A DEPUTY DIRECTOR OR, UM, YOU KNOW, AND THAT PERSON THEN KNOWS THAT THEY NEED TO BRIEF SOMEBODY AT A STAFF MEETING WITHIN 24 HOURS. , I MEAN, THAT'S PROBABLY TOO SOON. BUT WITHIN A, I MEAN, I, BECAUSE YOU WANT A RESPONSE FAIRLY QUICKLY, 30 TO 60 DAYS, AGAIN, FOR THE CITY, THAT'S A PRETTY QUICK TURNAROUND. UM, IT'S NECESSARY. I GET THAT. YOU DON'T WANNA GIVE THEM SIX MONTHS NECESSARILY. THAT'S IF YOU'VE GOT A STRUCTURAL POLICY ISSUE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, CAUSING SOME CONCERNS, THEN WE NEED TO GET ON IT. MM-HMM . UM, SO I, I AGREE WITH YOU. I THINK WE'RE GONNA MAYBE LIVE WITH THIS A LITTLE BIT AND NEED TO TWEAK IT, BUT, UH, I THINK, UH, COMMUNICATION IS KEY AND YEAH. AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT REALLY THE RIGHT PEOPLE SEE IT AND THEN CAN GET IT TO A RESPONSE AS NEEDED. AND IT'S SO IMPORTANT. IT, WE'VE GOT TO TELL THE STORY ABOUT OUR WORK. IF WE DON'T YES. WHAT'S THE POINT? AND YOU KNOW, WE, UH, AS COUNCIL MEMBERS, UNFORTUNATELY, I ANYWAY TEND TO FOCUS ON THE, THE, UM, THE MOST URGENT NEEDS. THE ONE THAT'S COMING THAT I'M NEED TO VOTE ON OR THAT I NEED, UM, IS, IS IMPACTING MY DISTRICT SOMEHOW. AND IT'S THOSE THINGS THAT, THAT CATCH OUR ATTENTION. MM-HMM . THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, BUT IT JUST MAY NOT FLUSH BEFORE OUR EYES AND WE'LL GO, OH, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT. YEAH. SO JUST HOWEVER WE CAN PUT THE STRUCTURE TOGETHER SO THAT, UM, I THINK YOUR WORD ALERT IS A GOOD, GOOD TERM, , BECAUSE THAT MEANS, HEY, PAY ATTENTION. THERE'S SOMETHING HERE. THIS IS NOT JUST A REPORT. RIGHT. IT'S AN ALERT, WHICH IS, IS A VERY, UM, APPROPRIATE WORD. SO WE'LL, WE'LL GET IT FIGURED OUT, I'M SURE. BUT I, AND YOU KNOW, ALL OF THIS ABOUT THE COMPLEXITY OF THIS ORGANIZATION AND HOW HARD IT IS TO GET PEOPLE. [00:20:01] I DO. AND I KEEP LEARNING AND IT'S, IT'S, THERE'S A LOT. IT'S A LOT. THERE'S A LOT. THERE'S A LOT. AND THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO DO THIS. YEAH. ANOTHER REASON. ANYWAY. UM, AND I'M CURIOUS ABOUT, UM, IN THE APPENDIX, THE WORDS, UM, UNDER CRITERIA FOR MANAGEMENT ALERTS, IT SAYS ALLEGATIONS ARE SUBSTANTIATED IN PART. SO THAT KIND OF BRINGS ME TO, CAN YOU GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A MANAGEMENT ALERT? HAS THERE BEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT THAT'S COME UP? UM, IN THAT WAY WE CAN BEGIN TO GET OUR HEADS AROUND. IT'S NOT JUST SORT OF AN ABSTRACT IDEA, BUT WE HAVE A, SOMETHING CONCRETE TO APPLY THIS TO. A HUNDRED PERCENT. I CAN DO IT BECAUSE I HAVE LAURA PHELAN ON MY TEAM , AND SHE, UH, KNOWS ALL OF THESE STORIES. PART OF WHAT, WHILE SHE'S GETTING READY IS, UH, I'VE BEEN CHIEF INTEGRITY OFFICER, SO I'VE BEEN A BIT ISOLATED FROM THE PROSECUTORIAL SIDE AND BEING IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THAT. SURE. BUT SURE. LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. LAURA PHELAN, THANK YOU ASSISTANT, UH, INSPECTOR GENERAL. UM, ONE OF THE RECENT MANAGEMENT ALERTS WE DID IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR WAS, UM, HAVING TO DO WITH JUST A PROCUREMENT, UH, THAT MAYBE SOME STEP WE, WE BELIEVE SOME STEPS WERE MISSED. UM, IT WAS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION. IT WAS A PROPOSAL FROM CONSTRUCTION, RENT DEFENSE, UH, FOR CONCRETE FLAT WORK AND RAILINGS AT THE DALLAS EXECUTIVE AIRPORT. AND WE GOT A COMPLAINT, UH, THAT'S, UM, THIS 600,000, $600,000 PAYMENT, UH, WENT THROUGH WITHOUT A FORMAL SOLICITATION AND WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION FROM CITY COUNCIL. UM, AND WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE VENDOR CHARGED AN EXCESSIVE FEE. UM, AND THAT'S KIND OF A HIGH LEVEL SUMMARY OF THAT. OKAY. SO HOW DID YOU, YOU ALL, SOMEBODY MADE YOU AWARE OF THE CONCERN? WE RECEIVED A COMPLAINT. YEP. MM-HMM . WE RECEIVED A COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS. UM, AND WHAT WE UNCOVERED WAS THAT THERE WAS A PROJECT THAT HAD A MASTER AGREEMENT, BUT IT DIDN'T INCLUDE CONCRETE IN ITS SCOPE. AND, UM, THE PROJECT ALSO EXCEEDED $50,000 AND IT WASN'T PROCURED VIA A FORMAL SOLICITATION AS REQUIRED. UM, AND BECAUSE IT ALSO EXCEEDED A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, IT WASN'T APPROVED BY COUNCIL AS REQUIRED. UM, AND WE THINK THAT THE CITY INCURRED AN UNDUE EXPENSE, UM, DUE TO THE LACK OF COMPETITIVE BIDDING ON THE CONCRETE PORTION. SURE. YEAH. THOSE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS THAT WORRY US SERIOUSLY. I MEAN, THAT'S THE KIND OF THING THAT YOU THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO GO TO SLEEP AT NIGHT AND ALL THESE THINGS ARE ON YOUR, YOUR MIND, YOU'RE LIKE, WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS THAT ARE SLIPPING THROUGH THE CRACKS INTENTIONALLY OR UNINTENTIONALLY, BECAUSE WE'RE ALL HUMAN AND LIFE GETS CRAZY AND BUSY. BUT IT'S THOSE, IT'S THOSE TYPES OF THINGS I THINK THAT WE DO WORRY ABOUT. SO I'M VERY GRATEFUL THAT YOU GOT THAT REPORT. AND, UM, SO IN THAT, IN THIS CASE, WE, WE WOULD MAYBE WE WERE ALL MADE, WERE WE ALL MADE AWARE OF THIS AT THE TIME? YES. SORRY, I HAVE TO ASK THAT QUESTION. YES. AND WE HAD TO RECOMMENDATIONS. UM, OUR FIRST RECOMMENDATION WAS THAT, UM, THE INTERIM CITY MANAGER AND THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL'S OFFICE TAKE WHATEVER APPROPRIATE ACTION THEY WOULD DEEM NECESSARY BASED ON OUR FINDINGS. RIGHT. AND OUR SECOND RECOMMENDATION WAS, UM, MANDATORY DOCUMENTED PROCUREMENT TRAINING, UH, ON AN ANNUAL OR SURE. MAYBE BIANNUAL BASIS. UH, BECAUSE MULTIPLE EMPLOYEES INDICATED THEY DIDN'T FEEL THEY HAD A SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS. RIGHT. AND, UM, BOTH SOLID RECOMMENDATIONS. ABSOLUTELY. SO, AND DO WE KNOW THAT THOSE THINGS THEN DID HAPPEN? THAT THE WE DON'T. AND THAT'S WHERE WE KIND OF LOST IT. AH, OKAY. AND SO NOW WE'RE HERE, COMING UP, FILLING OUT THAT PROCESS, SO, GOT IT. THAT'S, WELL THANK YOU FOR KIND OF PAINTING THE WHOLE PICTURE. NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE HERE AND IT'S, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT WORK. NOT ONLY THE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE ALREADY DONE, BUT WHERE WE'RE HEADED BOTH, BOTH HANDS. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU CHAIR. RIGHT. THANK YOU. AND I THINK YOU JUST HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD HERE. THAT WAS A GREAT EXAMPLE TO BE ABLE TO GET. OR NOT A GREAT EXAMPLE, BUT UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST IT. WE RECEIVED THESE ALERTS, UM, AND I THINK BECAUSE THERE WASN'T THE SUBSEQUENT, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS NO PATHWAY, NO PLACE FOR THEM TO GO. UH, THEY HAD JUST SAT AND MS. SPARKS, WILL YOU JOIN US FOR A MOMENT? BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS ANOTHER PART OF THAT REPORT. UM, A RATIFICATION WAS PREPARED AND PLACED ON THE CITY COUNCIL DRAFT AGENDA, BUT IT WAS REMOVED. CITY COUNCIL WAS NOT PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS FAILURES ON THIS PROJECT. AND SO THAT IS EXACTLY WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY SO THAT WE CAN OUTLINE THE, THE PROCESS OR NOT DEFINE IT, BUT GUIDE AND UH, YOU IN CONJUNCTION [00:25:01] WITH THE CITY AUDITOR'S OFFICE. AND THANK YOU MS. SPARKS FOR REPRESENTING AS ASSISTANT CITY AUDITOR TODAY. UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A PROCESS IN PLACE AND I THINK THAT'S WHY WE JUST FIGURE EVERYTHING'S GONNA COME BACK TO US AND, UM, JUMP UP OUT OF THAT STACK OF INFORMATION WE GET ALL THE TIME AND SAY, HEY, PAY ATTENTION TO THIS AND THIS IS IMPORTANT, BUT, BUT WE HAVEN'T HAD IT. HOWEVER, ON THE AUDITOR SIDE, WE DO HAVE IT. SO I LOVE THAT YOU ALL HAVE COLLABORATED ON THIS, BUT MY QUESTION IS, BECAUSE THIS IS ONE OPTION YOU WERE GOING TO EXPLORE MM-HMM . IS CAN WE JUST, AT A CERTAIN POINT, THE OIG TAKES THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND HANDS IT OVER TO A GROUP THAT ALREADY DOES THIS MM-HMM . AND SO EXPLAIN THAT TO ME AND THEN ALSO TELL ME ABOUT THE WORKLOAD, BECAUSE THAT'S PROBABLY A QUESTION COUNCIL MEMBERS WOULD HAVE, IS THAT WE JUST APPROVED A WORK PLAN THAT'S PRETTY AGGRESSIVE. SO DO YOU HAVE TIME IF THEY HAND MANAGEMENT ALERTS OVER TO YOU TO DO THE FOLLOW UP? WELL, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. DEPUTY CITY AUDITOR MARTHA MARKS. AND SO THE WAY THE PROCESS WORKS IS THAT WHEN A RECOMMENDATION IS ISSUED, WE HAVE A SYSTEM WHERE WE HIGHLIGHT ON WHETHER THEY'RE HIGH, MODERATE OR LOW RISK, AND WE ARE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW UP ON ANYTHING THAT WE DEEM HIGH RISK. AND SO WE DO THAT ANYWHERE BETWEEN SIX TO 18 MONTHS, DEPENDING ON WHEN MANAGEMENT THINKS THEY'RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT IT. 'CAUSE WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IS NOT JUST, HEY, WE GOT IT IN PLACE, BUT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT'S WORKING. SO THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT DATES THAT WE CHECK FOR ONE, WHEN DID YOU PUT IT IN PLACE? TWO, HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN WORKING IN THAT, IN THAT NEW LOCATION OR IN THAT NEW PLACE? SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FOLLOWING UP ON IS WHEN DID YOU IMPLEMENT IT, HOW WELL HAS IT BEEN WORKING? AND SO THAT'S THE, THE PROCESS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN PLACE IN ORDER TO HELP US THROUGH THAT PROCESS. WE RELY ON THE CITY CONTROLLER'S OFFICE. THEY GET THE SAME RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'VE ISSUED TO THE DEPARTMENTS AND THEY'RE WORKING IN THE BACKGROUND WITH THE DEPARTMENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE MEETING THEIR DEADLINE. THEY SET, THEY WERE GOING TO MEET. SO WE CHECK WITH THE CITY CONTROLLER'S OFFICE TO SAY, HEY, THIS IS COMING UP. ARE YOU READY FOR US TO COME IN TO DO A FOLLOW UP ON THAT RECOMMENDATION TO SEE IF THAT RISK HAS BEEN MITIGATED? AND SO WE WORK WITH THEM AND EVERY YEAR WE HAVE A FOLLOW UP REPORT ON THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WHICH YOU GUYS SEE AS ISSUE ON A REGULAR BASIS. AND IN THAT ONE WE TALK ABOUT WHETHER MANAGEMENT'S IMPLEMENTED IT OR NOT IMPLEMENTED IT AND WHETHER THE RISK CONTINUES TO REMAIN. AND IF THE RISK IS BIG ENOUGH, WE TYPICALLY CREATE ANOTHER AUDIT PLAN INTO THE, UM, AN AUDIT TOPIC INTO OUR AUDIT PLAN. AND THAT'S BROUGHT BACK TO THE COUNCIL. SO YOU CAN APPROVE THAT. UM, AS PART OF THE ANNUAL APPROVAL PROCESS. SO THE CITY AUDITOR'S OFFICE, SHOULD THAT BE THE PATHWAY THAT YOU RECOMMEND IS ABLE TO TAKE THIS ON AND NO CONCERNS ABOUT WORKLOAD AND YOU FEEL LIKE THIS COULD DOVETAIL? RIGHT. SO WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, WHAT WE WERE WORKING THROUGH IS THAT THE OIG G'S OFFICE WOULD LET US KNOW WHAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE AND WE INCORPORATE IT DIRECTLY INTO OUR SYSTEM IN DILIGENT. AND THEN WE SAY SEND THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS OUT TO THE CITY CONTROLLER'S OFFICE. AND THEY NOW HAVE A FULL LIST OF EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN RECOMMENDED BETWEEN US AND THE OIGS OFFICE. AND SO WE FOLLOW UP WITH THE CITY CONTROLLER'S OFFICE AND SAY, HEY, WHAT'S THE STATUS WITH ALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS, NOT JUST OURS. AND THEN BASED ON THAT, WE WOULD FOLLOW UP ON IT. NOW, SOME OF THE ONES THAT THE OIGS OFFICE MAY COME UP WITH ARE NOT PROBABLY INTERNAL CONTROLS BASED, AND THEY MAY BE MORE INVESTIGATION RELATED. THEY MAY NEED TO BE CRIMINALLY, UM, LOOKED AT OR OTHERWISE. SO FOR THOSE INSTANCES, OIG WOULD HAVE THE, UM, THE, NOT NECESSARILY THE BANDWIDTH, BUT THE, UM, THE COMPETENCY TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THOSE. 'CAUSE WE ARE NOT A PART OF THAT INVESTIGATION THAT WOULD REQUIRE, YOU KNOW, THE LEGAL, UH, SIDE OF IT THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO DO. SO FOR THOSE THINGS, WE WOULD JUST LET THEM KNOW, HEY, THE TIME'S COME UP FOR IT, WE NEED, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU WANNA HANDLE THIS? AND SO THAT'S WHEN WE WOULD REPORT BACK TO THEM. SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW TO GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS SO THAT WE HAVE A CENTRALIZED LOCATION FOR ALL THIS. SO WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT YOUR TEAM DOES THE INVESTIGATION, THEY HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS, YOU ALL WILL DETERMINE AT THAT POINT WHETHER THE IGS OFFICE WILL FOLLOW, SEE THAT THROUGH, BUT YOU'LL BE ACCESSING THE DILIGENT SYSTEM FOR TRACKING. AND WILL YOU, IN COLLABORATION WHEN THERE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS, MEET WITH THE CITY AUDITOR TO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M HEARING FROM YOU, MS. SPARKS IS LOW, MEDIUM, OR HIGH RISK MM-HMM . SO MAYBE IT HAS TO BE DETERMINED AND THEN YOU ALL ARE SETTING UP A TIMEFRAME FOR THE FOLLOW UP. SO AS COUNCIL MEMBERS, WHEN WE GET THIS MANAGEMENT ALERT, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW IT DOESN'T HAVE THOSE STEPS, BUT CAN WE EXPECT IT TO COME WITH KIND OF LIKE WE GET AUDITS, HERE ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS, HERE'S WHAT WAS ACCEPTED, HERE'S [00:30:01] WHAT WAS REJECTED, AND HERE'S WHEN THE FOLLOW UP TO THAT WILL BE TO BE SURE THAT THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE ACCEPTED ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED. BUT ALSO SO THAT IF SOMETHING WAS REJECTED, WE ALSO CAN ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY A HUNDRED PERCENT. AND, AND I THINK THE WISEST COURSE IS TO TRY AND ALIGN THIS MANAGEMENT ALERT SYSTEM AS CLOSELY AS IT MAKES SENSE WITH AUDIT. SO THAT, OH, THIS IS AN AUDIT OR IS THIS AN OIGI WANT 'EM TO, I WANT IT TO BE FAMILIAR. AND SO TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE ALIGNMENT WITH THEM AND, AND PRODUCE THE SAME THINGS. AND IT MAKES GREAT METRICS AND IT MAKES IT EASY FOR YOU TO FIGURE OUT AND ASK THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS LIKE, HEY, WHY, WHY, WHY DID YOU ACCEPT THIS RISK AND WHY DIDN'T YOU IMPLEMENT THAT? AND IT'S EXACTLY IT. WELL, I THINK A FAMILIAR PROCESS IN USING RESOURCE THAN EXPERTISE WE'VE ALREADY GOT. MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. MM-HMM . I WAS GONNA ASK ON PAGE SEVEN, THIS IS GETTING A LITTLE MORE GRANULAR, BUT WHEN, UM, TO THE POINT THAT COUNCIL MEMBER BLAIR MADE ON RECEIPT OF ALERT AT FIVE DAYS ON RESPONSE IN 30 TO 60 DAYS, WHAT IS IN LINE? OR ACTUALLY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO IDENTIFY IT TODAY, BUT WHEN YOU COME BACK, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE BEST PRACTICES ARE AROUND THAT. BECAUSE ONE OF THE ISSUES AROUND, UM, SOMETHING AROUND ETHICS OR FRAUD, WASTE AND ABUSE IS THAT WHEN THE PUBLIC BECOMES AWARE OF IT, A LARGE PART OF THE PUBLIC TRUST HAS TO DO WITH WHAT THE RESPONSE TIME IS. IF IT LANGUISHES, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY'RE NOT SO HAPPY ABOUT THAT AND I DON'T THINK WE ARE EITHER. AND SO I, IT'S AWARENESS AND THEN WHAT'S THE FOLLOW UP, THE ACCOUNTABILITY. SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET INTO THAT, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE MAYBE TIGHTER TIMEFRAMES AND, AND ALSO FROM A CITY PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, WE DO AUDITS THAT ARE JUST MAYBE DON'T HAVE AS MUCH URGENCY, THERE'RE FOR INFORMATION MM-HMM . AND PLANNING AND THAT SORT OF THING. BUT I WOULD CONSIDER THESE AT A DIFFERENT LEVEL SO THAT WHEN YOU'RE RUNNING THIS BY SOME OF THE DEPARTMENTS YOU'VE IDENTIFIED THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S THIS EXTRA ELEMENT OF PUBLIC TRUST TO AN INVESTIGATION OR A MANAGEMENT ALERT THAT'S IN WORK. YES. AND THE TRANSPARENCY OF HAVING A MAN, A MANAGEMENT ALERT SYSTEM, I THINK IS GONNA BE A REAL INCENTIVE FOR, UH, INFORMATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO BE RESPONDED TO, UH, AT LEAST AS FAST AS THEY WERE, IF NOT QUICKER. AND THERE IS A REAL TENSION, UM, WHEN YOU HAVE THESE REPORTS, UH, AND I'LL JUST SAY IT THIS WAY. NOBODY, NOBODY REMEMBERS THE DATE THAT THE REPORT CAME OUT, BUT THEY ALWAYS REMEMBER IF THERE WAS A MISTAKE AND THERE'S THAT TENSION BETWEEN THE EROSION OF PUBLIC TRUST IS THEY FEEL LIKE NOTHING'S HAPPENING AND GETTING IT RIGHT, WE'VE GOT TO GET IT RIGHT OR WE DESTROY SO MUCH WORK. AND, UH, IT'S, THAT'S JUST ATTENTION WE'LL BE PLAYING WITH THE WHOLE TIME. WELL, AND I THINK, I'M NOT SURE HOW IT'S IDENTIFIED WITH THE CITY AUDITOR, BUT YOU KNOW, I KNOW SOMETIMES A DRAFT WILL COME IN AND THEN THERE'S A PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE IT COMES TO COUNCIL BECAUSE THERE ARE REVISIONS BEING MADE. AND THAT'S, THAT CAN BE CONCERNING, BUT IT CAN'T BE ANYTHING MATERIAL TO THE FINDINGS. MM-HMM . AND I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT IS DEFINED IN, IN POLICY OR IF IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, AN ETHICAL STANDARD, UM, THAT YOU CANNOT, YOU KNOW, GO IN AND, AND MAKE A LOT OF CHANGES. AND THAT'S A POINT YOU MADE ON PROCESS ABOUT WHO IS NOTIFIED. I MEAN, I WOULD SAY THAT EACH COUNCIL APPOINTED EMPLOYEE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHO SHOULD BE GETTING THE ALERT AND THEIR A CM, UM, CAN BE PART OF THAT. BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT IT SHOULD MAKE A STOP AT AN A CM BEFORE IT GOES ANY FARTHER. I THINK IT, I MEAN MY PREFERENCE AND IF COLLEAGUES DISAGREE, WE CAN DISCUSS THAT TOO, BUT, UM, IS THAT IT NEEDS TO GO TO THAT COUNCIL LEVEL, UH, EMPLOYEE COUNCIL APPOINTED EMPLOYEE, UM, SO THAT WE KNOW IT IS GETTING THE UTMOST ATTENTION WHEN IT IS ISSUED. UM, THE OTHER POINT ON REPORTS, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU WANT TO MAKE THEM MORE ROBUST BECAUSE I THINK THEY'VE ALMOST BEEN CRYPTIC IN THE PAST AND SOME OF THAT IS, I GUESS DIFFERENT CONFIDENTIALITY OR, UM, HOW SO HOW CAN YOU MAKE THEM MORE DESCRIPTIVE WITHOUT, I THINK IT'S, IT'S, UH, MORE ART THAN SCIENCE. UH, BUT I DO THINK WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB AND, AND I, I DON'T FIND FAULT WITH ANY APPROACH, UM, JUST LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH BEING SO TERSE OR SOMETHING NECESSARILY WRONG WITH TELLING A BIG STORY THERE. THERE'S A MIDDLE GROUND, THERE'S A SWEET SPOT AND WE'RE GONNA TRY AND, AND HIT IT. NOW, I, I'M FAIR THE FAIREST OF WARNINGS, WE'VE GOT A QUARTERLY REPORT THAT IS ABOUT READY TO LAUNCH AND IT'S THE OLD, SO YOU'RE HEARING ME SAY ALL THIS AND YOU'RE ABOUT TO GET A QUARTERLY REPORT THAT'S NOT GONNA MEASURE UP TO WHAT I'M SAYING. UH, BUT THE NEXT ONE, YES. YES. OKAY. AND THEN, UM, I WAS FROM, FROM [00:35:01] THIS STANDPOINT, EVEN THOUGH CHAPTER 12 A IS TO BE REVIEWED EVERY TWO YEARS, AND THAT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING COMMITTEE THAT WE'LL WE WILL BE KICKING OFF, UM, AFTER THE FIRST OF THE YEAR AND IT WILL GO THROUGH A PROCESS. I BELIEVE THERE WILL BE A WORKING GROUP WITH THE ETHICS ADVISORY COMMISSION, BUT THIS IS ALSO AN ASPECT OF 12 A THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US NAIL DOWN SOONER, UM, BECAUSE WE NEED THIS PROCESS IDENTIFIED. AND UM, THEN WE CAN LOOK AT THESE MANAGEMENT ALERTS MM-HMM . AND TAKE THE ACTION ON THEM AND HAVE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS. SO I WOULD SAY THAT IN THE WORK THAT YOU'VE OUTLINED THAT YOU WANT TO DO, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT COME BACK TO US. SO IN JANUARY WE CAN FINALIZE A PROCESS SO THAT, YOU KNOW, IF, SO THAT THESE CAN BE RESOLVED. AND SO THAT ANYTHING ELSE THAT MIGHT COME TO US IN THAT PERIOD, WE HAVE A PATHWAY TO MM-HMM . RESOLUTION. I'M, I'M, UH, LIKE ANY WISE PERSON DOES, I'M COPYING THE WORK OF OTHERS. SO I'M ABOUT TO PUT OUT A HUNDRED DAY PLAN. I'M COPYING THE CITY MANAGER ON THAT. I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA AND THIS IS GONNA BE A PART OF THAT. OKAY. COLLEAGUE SAYS, HAS THIS GENERATED ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR, YES. ALRIGHT. COUNCIL MEMBER BLAIR, UM, MS. SPARKS, YOU SAID THAT THERE IS A SIX TO 18 MONTH PATHWAY FOR HIGH ALERTS MM-HMM . WHAT HAPPENS TO MEDIUM AND LOWER ALERTS? WHAT HAPPENS? DO THEY, YOU FOLLOW UP ON THOSE OR WHAT? SO THE CITY CONTROLLER'S OFFICE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR FOLLOWING UP ON THE MODERATE AND LOW RISK AND REPORTING TO, I'M SORRY, THE CITY, THE CITY CONTROLLER'S OFFICE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR FOLLOWING UP ON MODERATE AND LOW RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEY PROVIDE REPORTS TO CITY COUNCIL ON WHERE THEY'RE AT. WE FOLLOW UP ON THE HIGH RISK COMPONENTS. NOW THERE ARE TIMES WHERE WE THINK SOME OF THE MODERATE ONES ARE CONNECTED TO THE HIGH RISK, SO WE MAY CHOOSE TO FOLLOW UP ON THEM JUST BECAUSE THE RISK IS CONNECTED TO THOSE THAT'LL BE IN OUR REPORT. BUT IF THEY'RE MODERATE AND LOW, THE CITY CONTROLLER'S OFFICE SHOULD BE PROVIDING THAT REPORT TO YOU. THAT'S INTERESTING. IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S, THERE COULD BE A LITTLE DISCONNECT BECAUSE AS, AS, AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, I WOULD NOT KNOW IF, AND I KNOW THAT, THAT THERE'S SOME, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME AMBIGUITY, AMBIGUITY , UM, IN WHAT IS BEING DISSEMINATED BECAUSE OF, UH, PRIORITY OR JUST TO SAY, YOU KNOW, UH, BUT HERE'S THE THING WE DON'T KNOW, WHICH IS, AND IF NOBODY ELSE KNOWS WHICH MEDIUM GOES WITH THE HIGH, HOW DO WE KNOW IF IT'S COMPLETE? HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT, WHERE IT IS IN THE PROCESS AND IF IT THERE'S, AND I SEE THAT IN THAT PROCESS THAT'S BEING USED, UH, WE CAN MISS THINGS AND THINGS COULD FOLLOW BY THE WAYSIDE THAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO MONITOR THAT. AND THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND A GREAT COMMENT. AND UM, SO THERE IS GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT OF THAT DISCONNECT YOU'RE REFERRING TO BECAUSE IN REGARDS TO IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS, IT'S REALLY THE MANAGEMENT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S BEEN COMPLETED AND IT'S WORKING. SO WE CAN'T MAKE MANAGEMENT DO IT. SO WE DO OUR BEST TO COME IN AND SAY, WE THINK BASED ON OUR RISK CRITERIA, YOU REALLY SHOULD GET THIS UP AND RUNNING SOONER THAN LATER. THE OTHER ONES THAT WE THINK ARE MODERATE AND LOW MANAGEMENT CAN CHOOSE TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER TO IMPLEMENT IT, BUT WE CAN'T ENFORCE MANAGEMENT TO DO THAT. THAT WOULD VIOLATE OUR INDEPENDENCE, UH, BETWEEN MAKING SURE WE'RE REMAINING OBJECTIVE. SO THAT'S WHY YOU'RE KIND OF SENSING THAT DISCONNECT. BUT WE DO DO OUR BEST TO GET ALL THE HIGH ONES OUT THERE IN FRONT OF YOU AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING UP ON IT AND THEN WE PROVIDE A REPORT TO YOU ON WHERE THOSE HIGH RISK ELEMENTS ARE BEING ADDRESSED. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. UM, AND I, I THINK UM, AT THE, THE, IN THE APPENDIX YOU HAD YOUR STANDING OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR MANAGEMENT ALERTS MM-HMM . JUST YOUR KIND OF THE DRAFT WORKFLOW OF WHAT YOU WOULD SEE. AND I'M NOT GONNA GET INTO ALL OF THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF THAT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF . MM-HMM . MM-HMM ON, UH, IT SAYS NEXT STEP AND IT SAYS COLLABORATE WITH THE CMO ABOUT THE FLOW OF ALERTS. AND SO I THINK THAT SHOULD ENCOMPASS MORE THAN THE CITY [00:40:01] MANAGER'S OFFICE BECAUSE WE'VE GOT OTHER COUNCIL APPOINTED EMPLOYEES THAT ARE THE, YOU KNOW, CEO OF THEIR DIVISION. SO I WOULD INCLUDE CITY ATTORNEY, CITY SECRETARY, MUNICIPAL JUDGE, UM, CITY AUDITOR, YOU KNOW, HEAVEN FORBID OIG OFFICE, , JUST EVERYONE AS PART OF THAT. AND ACTUALLY, UM, THAT MAY BE SOMETHING TO CONSIDER ADDRESSING AS WELL AS IF SOMETHING HAPPENS INTERNALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE PROCESS? I MEAN, YOU CAN'T REALLY, YOU KNOW, INVESTIGATE YOURSELF. SO THAT WOULD BE A GOOD THING. YEAH. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S FOR THIS STAGE OR IF THAT WOULD BE JUST PART OF 12 A IN GENERAL, UH, TO LOOK AT. I THINK IT'S FOR BOTH. IT IS FOR THIS STAGE AND YOU KNOW, THANKFULLY THERE, BUT, BUT THAT WHOLE ISSUE OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMETHING INVOLVES THE, THE IG OFFICE, UM, IT'S ADDRESSED IN, I BELIEVE IT'S 12 A 48, BUT IT NEEDS, IT NEEDS TO BE STRENGTHENED 12 A 48, 3 OR C IT NEEDS TO BE STRENGTHENED 'CAUSE IT'S THAT IT'S LIKE THE, THE, THE POLICE OFFICER, YOU KNOW, WHO UH, DOES SOMETHING WRONG AND THEN IS INVESTIGATES WHETHER HE DID SOMETHING WRONG. THAT'S NO GOOD. SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF WORK AND THAT'LL BE A PART OF THE OTHER 12 A CHANGES THAT, THAT WE'RE GONNA ADDRESS. YEAH, AND I AGREE WITH YOU ON THAT. AND UM, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING FOR THIS COMMITTEE THAT AS WE GO THROUGH AND KICK THIS OFF AT THE FIRST OF THE YEAR TO REALLY STUDY 12 A FOR WHERE WE THINK THERE ARE GAPS OR IT NEEDS ADDITIONS OR IF SOMETHING IS, UM, IRRELEVANT OR WHATEVER, SO THAT WE CAN WORK THROUGH THAT. SO, UH, IF THERE ARE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OF US? DO YOU NEED GUIDANCE? DO YOU FEEL LIKE WE'VE GIVEN YOU SOME DIRECTION HERE? I'M REALLY GRATEFUL. I THINK WE GOT SOME GREAT GUIDANCE IN THE POINTS THAT YOU'VE MADE AND MY DOOR'S ALWAYS OPEN. UM, SO IF YOU THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE, PLEASE CALL ME AND LET YOU KNOW. LET ME KNOW. ALRIGHT, UH, WITH NO FURTHER QUESTIONS, OUR MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 1:47 PM ALL. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.