Role of citizens oversight panel on audits questioned

Erin Neff

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1998 | 11:18 a.m.

A request to add a third resident to the city's Audit Oversight Committee hit a snag Monday when a city councilman questioned whether such a committee should have a policy-setting role.

Larry Brown raised his concerns after reading news accounts and minutes from the newly-created committee's Oct. 20 meeting, at which members discussed a salary range suitable for hiring a new city auditor.

At that same meeting, the committee voted to replace council's recommendation that a city employee sits on the committee, by asking for a third at-large member from the community.

The committee of two citizens, two council members and one city employee, was created in May by City Council following the two-month media frenzy that surrounded the firing of auditor Susan Toohey.

Toohey was let go without explanation in March, and later alleged in a $2.8 million wrongful termination suit that a number of her audit recommendations were not acted upon promptly.

Those 14 audits became a wedge in the gubernatorial election, when eventual winner Kenny Guinn accused his Democratic opponent, Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones, of hiding audits.

Brown referred to the controversy over the audits Monday when he asked council to hold in abeyance the request to add a third citizen to the audit committee.

"I don't want any hidden agendas taking this to a level it shouldn't be taken to," Brown said.

McDonald said the committee has no hidden agenda, but instead is looking out for the best fiscal interest of residents

He supported Brown's recommendation to hold the item in abeyance until more information about the reason behind the committee's request is presented, and until Jones can offer her opinion. Jones missed the morning session of the council meeting because she was representing the city at the National Gambling Impact Study Commission's meeting.

City Manager Virginia Valentine, who was hired amid the audit controversy, said she has no opinion about whether a city employee needs to sit on the audit committee.

"The reason we wanted the other position (on the committee) filled was because right now we have an even number of people," Valentine said of the four committee members. "But I still think it's prudent to have input to council.

" The elected officials are still accountable."