Arlington's Independent Auditor Seeks Public Input
Published on February 07, 2018
- Public can submit suggestions online
- Audits help improve efficiency, effectiveness, transparency
Arlington County Auditor Chris Horton is looking for suggestions from the public of County departments, programs or services they feel could benefit from an independent audit this year or in the future.
"I'm developing both my 2018 Work Plan and my longer-term Work Plan Horizon," Horton said. "I would like to hear from the public about which areas of County government they believe I should focus on both in the coming year and in the future."
While all suggestions are welcome, Horton said that he is particularly interested in those areas that have a broad community impact, a significant financial impact or both. The goal, he said, "is to improve County government efficiency, effectiveness and transparency."
The public can submit suggestions on the County website. You can submit as many times as you would like, but Horton asks that each submission include only one suggested audit topic. Anonymous submissions are not accepted. In addition to our email address, the auditor asks that you include your neighborhood, for tracking.
About the County Auditor
Chris Horton has been the County's auditor since November 2016. He was hired by, and reports directly to, the Arlington County Board, with additional guidance from the Audit Committee, appointed by the County Board.
His work supplements the work of the Internal Audit Program, which exists within the Department of Management and Finance. The Internal Audit Program focuses on assessing the County's internal controls and implementing the Financial Fraud, Waste and Abuse Hotline, while the County Auditor focuses on whether County activities are effective in accomplishing their purpose, and whether they are providing overall value for money.
The auditor develops his draft Audit Work Plan at the beginning of each year, with input from many sources, including County management, the Audit Committee and the public. The County Board approves his Work Plan.
The Audit Horizon identifies audit areas and objectives that may not be addressed in the current year, but are worthy of careful consideration for inclusion in future Work Plans.
"While the number of audit topics I can include in this year's Work Plan is limited," Horton said, "I will review and catalogue every suggestion, and consider them for future Work Plans."