Per Res 20-1110, the City Council voted at its August 12, 2020 meeting to establish the creation of a Saint Paul City Council Audit Committee

SAINT PAUL CITY COUNCIL AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER

Mission:  The Saint Paul City Council Audit Committee’s mission is to evaluate the financial and program performance of City departments to build public trust and ensure outstanding service delivery, transparency and accountability. 

Charge of the Audit Committee:  With input from the community and city staff, the committee will select a topic based on the potential impact an audit could have on improving the City’s efficiency and effectiveness, interview and select consultants to perform the audit, and monitor the work of the consultants throughout the process. The Audit Committee will present a final report to the City Council and Administration on its findings.  The Committee may, from time to time, request an update from the Administration on its progress toward recommendations from previous audits and update the Council accordingly.

Makeup of the Audit Committee:  The Council President will appoint up to four (4) Councilmembers who will be guided by an Advisory Group made up of the City's Finance Director and Innovation Director, and up to four (4) members* of the public who are Saint Paul residents.  These Advisors will serve a three-year term. 

* Per Resolution RES 22-523, the membership of the Audit Committee’s Advisory Group expanded to include a fourth community advisor as non-voting members for a term of three years

Meeting Calendar:  The Audit Committee meets from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM once monthly on the third Tuesday.  (NOTE:  Dates and times are subjected to change so please check here for specific meetings that are of interest).

Meeting Location(s): All meetings are held in Council Chambers, Hearing Room 330 or City Hall Basement 41 of the Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse, 300 City Hall, 15 Kellogg Boulevard, West.  Please check the agenda for the interested meeting at Council's Meeting Calendar page for the correct meeting room. The public is welcome to attend meetings in-person and can access meeting information on the Council's Meeting Calendar such as looking at meeting videos or looking up agendas, minutes, and related documents.

Authority under City Charter and Code of Ordinances: Pursuant to Section 4.07 of the City Charter, “the Council to make investigations into the affairs of the city and the conduct of any department, office or agency and for this purpose shall have the power to administer oaths and require the presence of witnesses and the production of evidence by subpoenas obtained by order from the district court on application from the council.”

Pursuant to Section 4.08 of the Saint Paul Charter, “the council shall provide for an annual independent audit of all city accounts and may provide for such additional audits as it deems necessary.”

Appendix A-2 of the Administration Code was amended to establish the creation of a Saint Paul City Council Audit Committee.

Audit Committee Practice and Process: The Audit Committee will work with the Mayor’s Cabinet, City Departments, District Councils, Community Partners, and a broad group of stakeholders to identify topics for the Committee’s consideration. The Committee will annually review topic submissions and use a common criterion to rank and select the audit topics. A preliminary project scope will be developed along with the budget and a request for proposals/quotes will be released to enlist a consultant to complete the work. This Committee will ensure a cooperative and respectful process to:

  • Enhance accountability of City operations to performance expectations outlined in adopted codes, policies and budgets;
  • Improve efficiency and effectiveness of City operations; and
  • Demonstrate to the public of the City Council’s commitment to efficiency and positive outcomes, especially as it contemplates tax increases.

The Committee will report and share the findings with the public and Administration and will also work with the Administration to implement recommendations based on audit findings.

In the interest of achieving a productive working relationship, the Audit Committee will meet at least once annually with each Department Head to understand the opportunities, challenges and needs facing each City Department.

Audit Committee Values Statement:

  • Cooperation and Respect: The Audit committee will partner with the administration, staff, and stakeholders with cooperation and respect to build public and internal trust through outstanding service delivery.
  • Transparency and Integrity: The Audit committee will engender trust by operating with transparency and integrity, using sound methodologies and thoughtful systems analysis.
  • Co-learning and Co-development: The Audit Committee will operate with a spirit of evaluating “with” and not evaluating “on” that results in co-learning and co-development with the administration, staff, and stakeholders.
  • Race Equity: The Audit committee will use a race equity lens in choosing what will be evaluated, consultant selection, and how services will be evaluated.

How can residents help the Saint Paul City Council Audit Committee? Take the Topic Suggestion Survey for Residents.

Topic Suggestions from Residents
Resident Survey Responses

How can city staff help the Saint Paul City Council Audit Committee? Take the Topic Suggestion Survey for City of Saint Paul Employees.

Topic Suggestions from City Staff
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Last Edited: February 26, 2024