Testimony to Multnomah County Board - Full Forensic Audit of Multnomah County

Today we’d like to discuss this unique moment in time and the opportunity for the county to start fresh, armed with lots of data and ready to tackle the multiple crises our County is currently facing.

We are asking that the County undergo a full forensic audit performed by an independent auditing firm. While we are sure the County Auditor’s Office is doing their due diligence with regards to required audits and reports, there have been a lot of new funds flowing through the County over the last few years from the Metro Homeless Tax and COVID federal relief funds, for example. A lot of nonprofits popped up to help alleviate the need for resources, and it seems like we could use a reset to look at where we are at, and where we are going.

This is an ideal time to ask taxpayers to pay for this undertaking. We have a new Chair after 8 years under the same leadership. We are about to hire a new Joint Office of Homeless Services Director. We are going to be renegotiating the Joint Office contract with the City of Portland. All of these are major changes that every citizen in Multnomah County wants to see succeed, and we are certain that taxpayers will agree an independent audit is a wise investment at this stage to give us a better picture of where our tax dollars are going and how to optimize our resources and spending.

In a recent Willamette Week article, Chair Vega Pederson said there needs to be better transparency and ensuring information is shared with the county and the public. We agree with this sentiment one thousand percent. Once you complete this audit you should very easily be able to update communication of data and metrics and provide public dashboards to reassure the taxpayers of Multnomah County that our partners are providing quality results and continuous improvement to ensure we are maximizing the amount of help we are offering those suffering on the streets. You mentioned in that same interview that we have the resources, and again we agree - taking a look at the full picture will help reduce redundancies, ensure our contracts are in order, and take a look at the overall health of Multnomah County’s financials.

Thank you.