County employees and community members after the Board of County Commissioners proclaimed March Women's History Month in Multnomah County.

Dear friends and neighbors,

Happy Women's History Month! Multnomah County is dedicated to lifting women of every race, ethnicity, class, gender identity, ability, and sexual orientation. My office supports this goal by auditing departments and programs in order to highlight what we're getting right and shed light on how we can improve our services. This month I attended the East County Caring Community Forum, sponsored by Commissioner Lori Stegmann, which focused on the 2020 census and its potential impact on the level of federal funding that the county receives. I appreciated the opportunity to listen to community members’ thoughts and concerns about how to encourage all communities, including ones that have traditionally been undercounted, to participate in the census. As Auditor, I will apportion districts based on the 2020 census and will continue to monitor outreach efforts to get as accurate a count as possible. I'm holding my first community listening session on April 6! Read on to get the details, and to learn about our report on the 2018 County Ethical Culture Survey, the national award our office just won, and our upcoming risk management audit presentation. 

Best,

Jennifer


April 6 Listening Session

Join me for coffee and pastries on Saturday, April 6th from 10:30am-12:30pm at the Hollywood Library meeting room for my first community listening session! This is an opportunity to share your thoughts and concerns about County government, share your audit ideas, and learn more about what auditors do! Kids are welcome, but you can also contact my office to arrange for childcare, translators, or an accommodation.  


2018 Ethical Culture Survey

Auditors Jennifer McGuirk, Fran Davison and Nicole Dewees present the Ethical Culture Survey results to the Board of County Commissioners
(from left to right) Nicole Dewees, Fran Davison and Jennifer McGuirk present the results of the 2018 County Ethical Culture Survey to the Board of County Commissioners

On March 20, 2019, my office released the results of the 2018 Ethical Culture Survey. The survey found that the County’s ethical culture is generally strong. But while overall results are positive, a few departments also face some real challenges, especially in the Department of Community Justice. The County can do a better job of creating environments in which staff are comfortable raising ethical concerns and addressing issues related to the complaints process and fears of retaliation. This calls on each of us at the County, especially our elected leaders and those in management, to use this report as a tool for sustaining what is good about our culture and improving what needs to change. You can read the results if the Ethical Culture Survey on my website


Auditor's Office Wins Knighton Award

Photo of auditors Caroline Zavitkovski and Marc Rose
Principal Auditors Caroline Zavitkovski and Marc Rose

The Association of Local Government Auditors (ALGA) Knighton Award recognizes the best performance audit reports of the preceding year. Audit shops compete against other shops of the same size. The judges award one Exemplary Award and typically two Distinguished Awards in each size category. This year our office was awarded the Exemplary Award for our audit, Emergency Management: Eagle Creek Fire offers lessons to improve County readiness for future disasters, written by Principal Auditors Caroline Zavitkovski and Marc Rose. Marc said, "It feels good to be honored with this award -- especially because it acknowledges the potential to make an impact on such an important piece of the County's work."ALGA has members across the U.S., in Canada, and in other nations. Earning this top award from ALGA is an honor because of this recognition from our peers, and because our peers chose this audit due to its potential for significant impact, its responsiveness to the concerns of decision-makers and the public, and recommendations that will improve government. In fact, we're already seeing action from the County to implement our recommendations. I'm proud every day to work with Marc, Caroline, and the rest of my team. I hope our community members can take pride in this award too, and be assured that they are served by a top-notch audit shop.  


Upcoming Audits

April 2: Risk Management

The results of the Risk Management Audit will be released on Friday, March 29. The Auditor's will present the results of this audit on Tuesday, April 2 to the Board of County Commissioners. You are welcome to attend that presentation, watch it live or view it later.


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