The OIG was created by City Ordinance 20-O-22AA in order to establish a full-time program of audits, investigations, inspections, and reviews of the City’s performance measurement system. 

The purpose of the OIG is to provide increased accountability and oversight of the City and to assist in improving programs and operations administered or financed by City operations to detect, deter, prevent, and eradicate fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, and misconduct by appointed officials, employees, contractors, subcontractors, or other parties doing business with the City and/or receiving City funds.

The OIG’s jurisdiction includes all departments and programs of the City of Tallahassee.  This jurisdiction includes City of Tallahassee appointed officials, employees, contractors, sub-contractors, other parties doing business with the City and/or receiving City funds.  The OIG has no authority over the Ethics Board, its members and employees or matters identified as the Ethics Board’s duties and responsibilities as authorized by Sections 61, 62, and 63 of the City Charter.  Matters involving violations of the City’s Code of Ethics are referred to the Ethic’s Officer.

As authorized by City Ordinance 20-O-22AA, the OIG has the right to obtain full and unrestricted access to all City business-related records, information, data, reports, plans, projections, matters, contracts, memoranda, correspondence, and any other materials, including electronic data of the City, appointed officials, employees, contractors, sub-contractors, or other parties doing business with the City and/or receiving City funds.  Additionally, the OIG has the authority to subpoena City employees, officers, officials, vendors, contractors, or others doing business with the City and members of City boards, commissions, or committees as witnesses, administer oaths or affirmations, take testimony, and compel the production of such books, papers, records and documents, including electronic data as is deemed to be relevant to any inquiry or investigation. This power may be delegated to a duly authorized employee of the Office of Inspector General.

The City Auditor serves as the Inspector General (IG) and is appointed by the City Commission.  The IG is appointed based on integrity and capability for strong leadership.  Additionally, the IG must demonstrate ability and experience in accounting, auditing, financial analysis, law, management analysis, public administration, and investigation.

Yes.  The OIG is operationally independent from the other appointed officials.  Operationally independent means the office is not prevented, impaired, or prohibited from initiating, carrying out, or completing any audit, investigation, inspection, or performance review.

You should contact the OIG whenever you have reason to suspect fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, or mismanagement is occurring within or relating to the City of Tallahassee.  This information can be reported via this website by clicking on the report fraud icon, emailing the OIG at inspector.general@talgov.com and by calling the fraud hotline at 850-41-FRAUD (850-413-7283) or OIG main line at 850-891-8397.

In order for the OIG to properly evaluate complaints received, detailed information regarding the allegations should be provided.  Dates, locations, specific examples, and/or descriptions of wrongdoing, witnesses, and any other pertinent information to the allegations will help the OIG evaluate the complaint to determine whether the allegations rise to the level of an OIG investigation.

Although not required, providing your name and contact information will help the OIG be able to contact you to obtain any additional information necessary to evaluate the complaint.  The more information you can provide, the more thorough the OIG’s investigation can be.

No.  The OIG is not a law enforcement agency and investigative staff does not have the authority to arrest individuals.  If during an investigation investigative staff becomes aware of violations of criminal law, the matter will be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

No. The OIG is responsible for providing increased accountability and oversight of City operations and assists in improving programs and operations administered or financed by the City.  These responsibilities are accomplished by performing audits, investigations, inspections, and reviews of the City’s performance measurement system.

Once an audit or investigation is closed or no longer considered to be active, the report is public record to the extent it does not include information considered confidential and exempt from public release as provided for in Florida Statutes. If audits or investigations are active, the office records related to those audits, investigations, and reviews are confidential and exempt from disclosure as provided for by Section 112.3188 and Chapter 119, Florida Statutes.

Any City department, office, activity, function, program, operation, or computer system is subject to being audited. Because of limited audit resources, audit topics are identified and selected using a risk-based approach. Audit topics are selected annually, and the annual audit plan (select the "Audit Plan" option) must be approved by both the City's Audit Committee and the City Commission.

The OIG follows both Government Audit Standards and standards issued by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) in performance of audit work. As a condition of referencing these standards, we are required to periodically have an external review of our work performed by reviewers independent of our organization. Please take a look at our recent peer reviews (select the "Quality" option) for a record of our performance.