News
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14
Audit Update: Momentous move by Council to consolidate permitting as City reforms continue
This is a two-year follow-up to our 2021 report, Building Permit Audit: Long-standing inability to meet customers’ needs won’t improve without better management, sustained governance.
News article
Audit Update: The Office of Management and Finance has addressed most City credit card risks; purchase of gift cards prohibited until City policy is in place
This is a two-year follow-up to our 2021 report, City credit card use slowed during pandemic but exposes underlying risks.
News article
Audit Update: Council’s legislative changes helped the Portland Clean Energy Fund put management systems in place
This is a one-year follow-up to our 2022 report Portland Clean Energy Fund: Additional steps needed to implement voter-approved program.
News article
Audit Update: Bureaus have taken initial steps to address challenges in maintaining the City’s sewers, but have not re-evaluated their overall agreement
This is a one-year follow-up to our 2021 report Sewer Maintenance: Renewed attention to partnership needed to better serve ratepayers.
News article
Audit Update: Water Bureau not done defining roles or formulating long-term groundwater plan
This is a two-year follow-up to our 2020 report, "Groundwater: City identified risks, must develop a long-term plan to address them."
News article
Water Bureau acts on conflicts of interest, new purchasing procedures
The Auditor’s Office in 2019 investigated allegations of conflicts of interest in Water Bureau purchases. This follow-up looks at the progress the Water Bureau has made to implement recommended changes.
News article
Sewer Maintenance: Renewed attention to partnership needed to better serve ratepayers
Wastewater goes through pipes owned by the Bureau of Environmental Services but the bureau pays another - the Bureau of Transportation - to maintain these pipes. This longstanding agreement has had mixed results. We make recommendations for both bureaus in our audit report.
Report
Groundwater management: Some progress toward defining roles and developing long-term plans
This is a one-year follow-up to our 2020 report, "Groundwater: City identified risks, must develop a long-term plan to address them."
News article
Private Stormwater Management - At year two, slow progress on data management, but program evaluations are underway
This is a two-year follow-up to our 2018 report, "Private Stormwater Management: City reliance on property owners requires review of risks and results."
News article
Groundwater: City identified risks, must develop a long-term plan to address them
Given the time and money spent on protecting Bull Run, this audit asked whether the Water Bureau is managing the groundwater resource to ensure it is available in times of emergency or scarcity.
Report
Fraud Hotline report: Tip alleged procurement and ethics violations within the Water Bureau
The Auditor’s Office found evidence of procurement and ethics violations in an investigation prompted by a tip to the fraud hotline. The Water Bureau agreed to implement recommended process changes.
Report
Private Stormwater Management - Bureau of Environmental Services slow to act on private stormwater recommendations
This is a one-year follow-up to our 2018 report, "Private Stormwater Management: City reliance on property owners requires review of risks and results."
News article
Private Stormwater Management: City reliance on property owners requires review of risks and results
We found that the Bureau of Environmental Services did not have reliable data on private structures and did not evaluate the effectiveness of its programs. We make recommendations to ensure that the Bureau’s programs to manage stormwater on private property are effective and working as intended.
Report
Utility Payment Assistance: Program improvements would enable City to assist more customers
We recommend the Portland Water Bureau strengthen payment assistance by collecting and using customer data and improving outreach and training. We also recommend the Water Bureau continue to study how assistance could be extended to residents of multifamily housing.
Report
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