Wayne County audit committee flags gaps in third‑party contract oversight and staffing

At a Wayne County Audit Committee meeting, the auditor general told commissioners the office will assess third‑party contracts on a contract‑by‑contract basis and underscored staffing shortages that complicate oversight.

The exchange began after Commissioner Killeen pressed the auditor general about "monitoring third party contracts," asking whether audits address systemic oversight or are limited to individual contracts. The auditor general said audits are performed contract‑by‑contract, explaining that "what we're looking for is if the county is getting the services that are in the contract, paying the correct price for those services" and cited work on a workforce development contract and earlier review related to an FQHC as examples.

Commissioner Killeen warned of broader risks in contract management, saying, "I just get concerned, madam chair, that we have a leaky bucket, in a lot of places, through the county here and, contracts getting through." Killeen said limited staff capacity and turnover make it difficult to ensure every contract is adequately monitored before and after commission approval.

Commissioner Peterson Mayberry asked whether the audit or HR had identified departments with strong succession planning that could serve as models. The auditor general said the audit office focuses on the county's highest‑risk departments and, "from IREC's perspective, no," they had not identified departments clearly outperforming others on succession planning. Later the auditor clarified what an audit would examine in the personnel area: "Audit would be looking at the processes that personnel is going through to fill the vacancies that are there, how long it's taken to fill vacancies, obviously, how we're advertising for those vacancies ... and the policies and procedures related to them rather than reporting on what they're doing, which is what personnel would do."

Commissioners discussed recruitment strategies, suggesting outreach to colleges and universities and experimenting with different hiring practices beyond traditional job fairs. The auditor noted hiring auditors has been difficult, citing limited applicant pools and salary market constraints.

Procedural business: the chair announced a motion from Commissioner Garza with support from Commissioner Wilson and instructed commissioners to vote on their tablets; the chair then stated, "Motion carried." The transcript records the motion and that it carried but does not include a roll‑call tally. The clerk called for public comments and reported no emails were received; none were offered. A motion to adjourn was moved and supported later in the meeting, and the transcript ends before a vote tally on adjournment is recorded.

Next steps: the auditor's office indicated it will continue contract reviews when issues arise and pursue personnel‑process audits as appropriate; no specific follow‑up dates were recorded in the transcript.