To: Honorable Deb Jung and the members of the County Council
From: Laura Mettle, President, League of Women Voters of Howard County

Re: CB 47-2024, An Act Establishing the of Office of Inspector General; and
CB 48-2024, Inspector General - Companion Legislation and Code Revisions

Chairwoman Jung and members of the County Council:

The League of Women Voters of Howard County supports this legislation establishing the Office of the Inspector General and related revisions of the County Code.

Last month at our national biennial convention, the League of Women Voters of the United States passed a resolution titled, “Ethics in Government.” This statement “recognizes the importance of ethics in government policies that:
Apply broadly to elected and appointed officials, employees, and lobbyists at all levels of government;
Prohibit conflicts of interest, use of position for political gain, corruption, nepotism, and favoritism;
Foster transparency through financial disclosure by all elected and appointed officials;
Support effective enforcement mechanisms; and
Encourage ethical conduct through transparency.”

Human nature being what it is, when power and money are involved, very few of us are saints, able to set aside self-interest. We need a referee to keep us honest, enforce the rules, and protect the public interest. An Inspector General is designed to be that referee and preserve public trust in government.

Creation of the Office of Inspector General will save taxpayers money, improve inefficient business practices, and help keep the government transparent and operating within the boundaries of the law. As Howard County has grown, so have our local government operations become more complex, with our total county budget growing to about $3 billion. That’s a lot to keep track of, and the likelihood of wasteful spending increases with increasing complexity. A good Inspector General will reduce waste and uncover possible fraud. An Inspector General would have subpoena power, which the County Auditor does not have, enabling them to investigate irregular incidents without necessarily involving law enforcement in the investigation.

This bill is well crafted and ensures the independence of the Inspector General by granting oversight authority to the Inspector General Advisory Board; the IG does not answer to either the County Executive or the County Council.

Of special note is the composition of the Inspector General Advisory Board, as outlined in CB 47-2024, Section 22.1300(C). This section allows, but does not require, the County Executive to nominate members with previous experience in auditing, fraud examination, government accountability, criminal justice, investigation or public administration. Perhaps the County Executive should be required to appoint at least two members of the Advisory Board; one with expertise in uncovering financial fraud, the other with expertise in criminal law. Citizens members of the Advisory Board are only required to be age 21 and, “have familiarity with ethics, law, program or performance evaluation, accounting or the duties and responsibilities of an Inspector General.” We would prefer a more robust level of expertise be required of members of the Advisory Board.

A second priority would be to ensure that the Inspector General would also have the oversight responsibility and authority for the Howard County Public School System, as that organization spends half of the County’s funds annually. Since education funds also come from the Federal and State governments, and the Maryland Department of Education also has statutory authority over the HCPSS, this provision may need to be specified and defined in these bills.

We urge you to pass CB 47-2024 and CB 48-2024 without delay.