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UM, YOUR AUTHORITY IS[*This meeting was joined in progress.*]
SPECIFICALLY LAID OUT AND ESTABLISHED[VI. Presentation and discussion of Inspector General Report, to include public discussion of any recently published reports, open letters, data, and statistics by the Office of Inspector General]
BY LAW SO THAT NOBODY THEORETICALLY CAN CHALLENGE YOUR AUTHORITY OR CHANGE YOUR AUTHORITY, UM, THAT YOUR POWERS SHOULD BE SPECIFIC.IDEALLY, YOUR POWERS SHOULD INCLUDE ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS.
UM, THE ABILITY TO ISSUE SUBPOENAS AND THE ABILITY TO EXPECT COOPERATION FOR PEOPLE WITHIN GOVERNMENT.
SO WITHIN OUR ORDINANCE, CERTAINLY WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO KEEP CONFIDENTIAL.
OUR RECORDS ARE ACTUALLY AN EXCEPTION TO THE PUBLIC RECORDS ACT.
SO WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROTECT THOSE RECORDS IN WAYS THAT GOVERNMENT DOES NOT TO ENSURE THAT OUR INVESTIGATIONS AND OUR AUDITS AND OUR VALUATIONS, UM, ARE MAINTAINED UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE FACTS BECOME PUBLIC.
UM, QUALIFICATIONS, YOU WANT TO HAVE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR YOUR INSPECTOR GENERAL SET OUT BY LAW.
YOU WANT YOUR LAW TO ENSURE THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE OFFICE, AND YOU WANT THE LAW TO PROVIDE, UH, PROTECTION FOR WHISTLEBLOWERS.
SO THIS IS OUR PARISH ENABLING LAW, UM, WHERE AT THE BEGINNING AND THE INCEPTION OF OUR OFFICE, WE ACTUALLY DID ADOPT MODEL LEGISLATION.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT LEGISLATION CAME TO BE CHANGED, BUT WE'RE GONNA FOCUS THAT.
WE STARTED WITH MODEL LEGISLATION
UM, AND SO WE HAVE A MANDATE ESTABLISHED IN THE CHARTER.
UM, WE HAVE OUR AUTHORITY ESTABLISHED IN OUR ORDINANCES.
OUR POWERS ARE ESTABLISHED UNDER PARISH ORDINANCE.
UM, CONFIDENTIALITY IS NOT ONLY UNDER OUR PARISH ORDINANCE, IT IS ALSO PROVIDED FOR UNDER STATE LAW.
SO WE HAVE DOUBLE PROTECTIONS THERE.
UM, THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL IS ALSO ESTABLISHED BY ORDINANCE.
UM, OUR INDEPENDENCE IS RECOGNIZED AND, UH, WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION IS ALSO IN THERE.
SO CONCEPTUALLY, WE HAVE A MODEL OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL.
OUR JURISDICTION, WHICH IS OFTEN, UM, TIMES QUESTIONED.
WE ARE A DEPARTMENT OF PARISH GOVERNMENT.
SO HR AS A DEPARTMENT, STREETS AS A DEPARTMENT, DRAINAGE IS DEPARTMENT.
IN THEORY, YOU ALWAYS WANT YOUR INSPECTOR GENERAL DEPARTMENT TO BE BURIED INSIDE OF YOUR AGENCY SO THAT IT CAN HAVE ACCESS TO ALL YOUR RECORDS AND TO ALL YOUR PERSONNEL.
AND THERE IS NO PROBLEMS WITH BEING AN EXTERNAL ENTITY.
BUT FOR ALL THOSE REASONS, OUR JURISDICTION IS LIMITED TO PARISH GOVERNMENT.
SO OFTENTIMES WE'LL GET COMPLAINTS ABOUT MAYBE THE CITY OF KENTER OR CITY OF GRETNA.
WE HAVE NO JURISDICTION OVER ANY MUNICIPALITY, NOR DO WE HAVE ANY JURISDICTION OVER OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS, UM, SUCH AS THE SHERIFF OR THE SCHOOL BOARD OR THE CORONER.
WE ONLY ARE LIMITED TO JEFFERSON PARISH GOVERNMENT PROPER.
UM, WE DO HAVE JURISDICTION OVER THE PARISH COUNCIL, PARISH PRESIDENT, AND ANY PARISH DEPARTMENTS.
SO WHAT IS THE WORK THAT WE DO? WE RUN A FULL-TIME PROGRAM OF INVESTIGATION, AUDIT INSPECTIONS AND PERFORMANCE REVIEWS.
UM, THE PURPOSE OF THE OFFICE IS TO PROVIDE INCREASED ACCOUNTABILITY AND OVERSIGHT OF PARISH, GOVERNMENT, UM, OR SPECIAL DISTRICTS OR ENTITIES RECEIVING PUBLIC FUNDS.
THAT MEANS THAT WE DO HAVE JURISDICTION OVER ANY PRIVATE ENTITIES.
VENDORS WHO RECEIVE PUBLIC MONEY HAVE CONTRACTS WITH PARISH GOVERNMENT.
UM, WE ARE HERE TO DETER AND IDENTIFY FRAUD, WASTE, ABUSE AND ILLEGAL ACTS.
UM, AND WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE USING OUR POWERS TO ASSIST MANAGEMENT IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF EFFECTIVE CONTROLS.
WE WILL GIVE OUR REPORTS TO YOU.
IT'S EITHER GONNA BE AN AUDIT REPORT, AN EVALUATION REPORT, OR AN INVESTIGATION REPORT.
UM, AUDIT'S FOCUS FOR SIMPLIFICATION IS ON CONTROLS AND COMPLIANCE AND WASTE EVALUATIONS PRINCIPALLY WORK ON EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS.
AND INVESTIGATIONS ARE GONNA FOCUS ON INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR ABUSES, FRAUD, THEFT.
UM, OUR AUDIT AND EVALUATION ACTIVITY IS A BYPRODUCT OF OUR ANNUAL RISK ASSESSMENT.
UM, WE DO PLANNING TO DETERMINE PROJECT OBJECTIVES FOR HIGH RISK AREAS, UM, AND QUANTIFYING DOLLARS MISSPENT.
UM, WE ACTUALLY REPORT AS A RESULT OF OUR AUDITS AND EVAL EVALUATIONS, ANY DOLLARS THAT ARE WASTED, UM, ANY COSTS IDENTIFIED MONEY RELATED TO WASTE, MONEY RELATED TO FRAUD.
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ALL OF THAT APPEARS ON OUR WEBSITE UNDER OUR FINDINGS TRACKER FOR THE ENTIRE DURATION OF OF THE OFFICE.OUR INVESTIGATIVE ACTIVITY INCLUDES RECEIVING AND PROCESSING TIPS.
SO I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW AND WARN YOU LIKE YOU'RE GONNA SEE A LOT OF AUDIT AND EVALUATION REPORTS.
INVESTIGATIONS PRODUCES REPORTS, BUT THAT'S ONLY ABOUT HALF OF THE WORK THEY DO.
THE OTHER HALF OF THE WORK THEY DO IS, UM, VETTING TIPS.
AND I'M SURE YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT THAT.
UM, ALL THE WORK THAT GOES INTO VETTING AND SCREENING COMPLAINTS THAT DON'T ACTUALLY MATERIALIZE INTO SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN, UM, SUSTAIN.
SO THAT'S AN INVESTIGATIVE ACTIVITY.
UM, THEY ALSO WORK WITH LOCAL AND FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.
SO WE HAVE GOOD POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE JEFFERSON PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE AS WELL.
POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE FBI.
UM, AND THEN WE WILL RELEASE REPORTS.
UM, OUR REPORTING ACTIVITY, UM, GOES THROUGH A PROCESS.
FIRST OF ALL, WE ISSUE A DRAFT REPORT TO THE PERSON WHO IS THE SUBJECT OF A FINDING A RECOMMENDATION.
UM, THAT'S PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT STRANGE IF YOUR BACKGROUND IS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT 'CAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE TELL THE TARGET EVERYTHING THAT THEY'VE DONE
BUT THAT'S, WE GIVE OUR DRAFT REPORTS TO THE SUBJECT AND THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, WE GOT IT WRONG OR TO RESPOND, OR, THIS IS HOW I'M GONNA FIX IT.
UM, AND THEY HAVE A VERY LONG RESPONSE PERIOD TO GET BACK WITH US.
AT THE END OF THAT RESPONSE PERIOD, WE FINALIZE THE REPORT AND THEN IT IS PUBLISHED.
IT'S PUBLISHED ON OUR WEBSITE.
AND THEN ULTIMATELY ACT YOUR MEETINGS.
WE WILL GIVE YOU A LITTLE BRIEFING ON WHAT THE REPORT LOOKED LIKE.
WE ARE SUBJECT TO QUALITY ASSURANCE.
UM, EVERY THREE YEARS, THE ASSOCIATION OF INSPECTOR GENERAL SENDS A TEAM OF PEOPLE FROM OFFICES ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES, AND THEY COME IN AND SORT OF LIKE PUT A CRITICAL EYE OVER EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING, WHETHER WE'RE MEETING OUR STANDARDS, WHETHER OUR REPORTS ARE SUPPORTED, WHETHER OUR PEOPLE ARE TRAINED, THEY'RE KEEPING UP THEIR CREDENTIALS.
UM, WE ARE IN A PEER REVIEW YEAR.
WE WILL BE HAVING A PEER REVIEW PRESENTATION LATER ON TONIGHT.
AND THEN ADDITIONALLY, ONCE A YEAR, THERE'S A QUALITY ASSURANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE THAT IS VERY INTERNAL TO JEFFERSON PARISH.
UM, IT'S MADE UP OF THREE INDIVIDUALS.
ONE APPOINTED BY YOU, ONE APPOINTED BY THE COUNCIL, ONE APPOINTED BY THE PARISH PRESIDENT.
AND THEY WILL MEET WITH ME ANNUALLY, GO OVER THE WORK THAT I'VE DONE AND ISSUE AN OPINION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT, UM, I'M MEETING EXPECTATIONS.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS WHATSOEVER EXCEPT THE BRACE FOR IMPACT? 'CAUSE WE'VE GOT LIKE TWO MORE PRESENTATIONS.
WELL, I APPRECIATE THE OVERVIEW,
SO WITH THAT BEHIND US, AND I DID MENTION, UM, THAT WE HAVE A, UM, A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.
WE ARE TOGETHER FUNDED BY THE INSPECTOR GENERAL SPECIAL FUNDING DISTRICT.
AND SO UNDER OUR MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, WE AGREE THAT I WILL PREPARE A BUDGET EVERY YEAR, INCLUDE YOUR EXPENSES IN IT.
IT WILL BE PRESENTED TO YOU, AND WE WILL VOTE ON IT.
THAT IS AN ITEM LATER ON IN THE AGENDA.
UM, BUT I ALSO GIVE YOU, UM, BUDGET TO ACTUAL NUMBERS.
SO ATTACHED TO MY REPORT IS YOUR BUDGET TO ACTUAL NUMBERS ENDING IN THE SECOND QUARTER.
YOU WILL SEE THESE NUMBERS AGAIN IN YOUR BUDGET PACKAGE.
SO JUST FOR EFFICIENCY, UM, I'LL JUST CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO IT AND MOVE ON.
UM, SO, AND WHILE THE NEXT PRESENTATION IS, UM, IS BEING LOADED UP AND I'VE COMPLETED MY ORIENTATION OF THE OFFICE, LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO THE VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE THAT WORK THERE.
JEFFREY ADOLPH IS ACTUALLY OUR DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL OF INVESTIGATIONS.
AND BASICALLY ANYTHING ELSE THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, INCLUDING TECHNOLOGY BEHIND HIM IS ONE OF HIS AGENTS.
UM, SHE COMES FROM MISSISSIPPI.
UM, WE HAVE AL ABWA, ALSO AN AGENT.
HE ORIGINALLY HAILS FROM THE WEST BANK.
UM, WE HAVE BRIAN SMITH, ONE OF THE OGS.
HE STARTED WITH THE OFFICE BACK IN 2013.
BRIAN COMES TO US BY WAY OF VIRGINIA, MARYLAND.
UM, ON OUR AUDIT SIDE, WE HAVE OUR DEPUTY OF AUDIT, ERICA SMITH.
SHE COMES TO US HERE ABOUT TWO YEARS
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AGO, HAVING SPENT 12 YEARS IN THE NEW ORLEANS OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL MANAGING AUDITS.WE HAVE HALEY, OUR NEWEST HIRE, WHO IS STRAIGHT OUTTA SCHOOL, WORKING ON HER MASTER'S, HOPEFULLY FINISHING IT.
SHE'S BEEN A ROCKSTAR AT THE OFFICE.
AND I'LL GO OVER SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT SHE'S DOING.
WE'RE MISSING OUR OTHER TWO AUDITORS WHO ARE ALSO EQUALLY FANTASTIC.
GINA, I INTRODUCED GINA DDU
UM, SO OUR OFFICES IN THE, IN THE ZONE OF DOING OUR ANNUAL RISK ASSESSMENT.
AND THE WAY WE'RE DOING IT IS DIFFERENT, UH, FROM PAST YEARS.
SO I WENT AHEAD AND PUT TOGETHER, I THINK IT'S LIKE FIVE SLIDES JUST TO, TO RUN THROUGH THEM.
SO, UM, ALL COMMISSIONER LUAKA, UM, AND CHRIS ARE FAMILIAR.
THIS SHOULD BE SOMETHING NEW FOR YOU AS WELL.
UM, SO EACH YEAR I SAID WE WILL GIVE YOU AN ANNUAL WORK PLAN IN SEPTEMBER.
UM, THAT WORK PLAN IS REQUIRED OF US, AGAIN, BY ORDINANCE.
UM, THAT WE HAVE TO PUT TOGETHER A PLAN THAT IS RISK BASED.
UM, IN ORDER TO DO THE RISK ASSESSMENT, OUR PROCESS ALWAYS BEGINS WITH UNDERSTANDING THE AUDIT UNIVERSE.
SO GETTING AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PARISH, WHICH OF COURSE, LIKE OUR KNOWLEDGE IS GAINED EVERY DAY.
UM, WE WILL DO RESEARCH REGARDLESS OF WHAT WE KNOW.
UM, WE'LL DEVELOP RISK ASSESSMENT CRITERIA.
WE'LL ASSESS THE RISK, PRIORITIZE THE RISK, AND THEN DEVELOP A RISK-BASED WORK PLAN.
THIS IS THE RISK CRITERIA THAT WE HAVE USED.
UM, BASICALLY FOR, UM, THE 10 PLUS YEARS OF THE OFFICE.
I'M TWEAKING IT THIS YEAR FOR REASONS I'LL, I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT.
UM, WE HAD DOLLARS AT RISK AT THE TOP WITH FRAUD RISK, CORRUPTION RISK AND THEFT RISK.
THEN WE HAD OPERATIONAL RISKS, WHICH ARE REALLY GOOD.
AND THEN AT THE BOTTOM WE HAD POLITICAL PRESSURE, POLITICAL CHANGE RISKS.
UM, WHEN WE WOULD DO OUR RISK ASSESSMENT, BECAUSE IT WAS A DOLLARS AT RISK KIND OF DRIVEN, UM, ASSESSMENT, WE WOULD TAKE THE BUDGET, BREAK IT DOWN BY ALL THE MONEY EACH DEPARTMENT GETS, AND THEN WE WOULD SCORE THEM ACROSS ALL RISK CRITERIA, UM, WHICH WAS 10.
SO 10 ACROSS EVERY SINGLE LINE, NOT SURPRISINGLY.
THEN WHAT BUBBLES UP TO THE TOP IS, WELL, WHATEVER DEPARTMENT SPENT THE MOST MONEY, WHICH DOESN'T MEAN THAT THERE'S A LOT OF RISK THERE.
IT JUST MEANT THAT THAT'S WHERE THE MONEY WAS.
UM, FRAUD RISK WAS DEFINED AS A RISK OF FRAUD, WASTE, OR ABUSE INVOLVING FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS.
I COULD TELL YOU LIKE THAT DEFINITION IS ALMOST LIKE TOO BROAD TO BE CAPTURED ACCURATELY IN A RISK ASSESSMENT.
AND THEN CORRUPTION RISK WAS IN THERE.
BUT CORRUPTION RISK WAS PRETTY DUPLICATIVE TO POLITICAL RISK IN TERMS OF LIKE, HOW DO YOU BREAK IT DOWN AND ACTUALLY QUANTIFY IT.
SO BEGINNING THIS YEAR, WE KEPT THE OPERATIONAL RISK.
THEN WE LOOK TO THE ASSOCIATION OF CERTIFIED FRAUD EXAMINERS.
THEY PRODUCE A FRAUD TREE THAT ADDRESSES OCCUPATIONAL FRAUD.
SO THERE'S OPERATIONAL RISK AND THEN THERE'S OCCUPATIONAL RISK.
AND THE OPERATIONAL RISK, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, COMPLIANCE, RISK MANAGEMENT, EMPLOYEE RISK, TECHNICAL PROCESS, THOSE ARE ALL GONNA BE RELATED TO LIKE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS.
BUT CORRUPTION, RISK, THE RISK OF CASH, CASH MISAPPROPRIATION, FRAUDULENT DISBURSEMENT, RISK OF MISUSE.
THAT IS REALLY A BREAKDOWN OF FRAUD BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO MANIFEST EITHER IN SOMEBODY STEALING CASH, WHICH WE HAVE HAD IN A DEPARTMENT.
UM, THE MISUSE OF PARISH PROPERTY, WHICH WE WILL GET COMPLAINTS OF MISUSE.
SO I BROKE IT OUT INTO DISCRETE AREAS.
THEN INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT LIKE WHOLE DOLLAR VALUES, I TOOK THE BUDGET AND BROKE IT INTO REVENUE TYPES.
SO THE GREEN IS GENERAL REVENUE.
THAT IS LITERALLY THE SALES TAX THAT FUNDS GENERAL FUNCTIONS SUCH AS THE PARISH PRESIDENT AND THE PARISH COUNCIL.
THAT'S ACTUALLY DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE FUNDED BY OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
I CATEGORIZE AN AREA AS NOT PRIORITY.
IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S NOT IMPORTANT.
IT MEANS THAT WE ACTUALLY FUNNEL
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MONEY TO THE DISTRICT COURTS.WE DON'T HAVE JURISDICTION OVER THEM.
THE PARISH COURTS, WE DON'T HAVE JURISDICTION OVER THEM.
SO THEY CAN KIND OF BE CARVED OUT OF OUR RISK ASSESSMENT.
AND THEN THE BOTTOM ROW, THAT'S ALL IN BLUE.
SO A LOT OF THE SERVICES IN JEFFERSON PARISH ARE FUNDED BY DEDICATED MILLAGE DOLLARS, WHICH IS GOOD BECAUSE AS A TAXPAYER, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE PAYING AND THEORETICALLY YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING FOR THAT MONEY.
PROBLEM IS BIG QUESTION, IS THE MONEY BEING SPENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RESTRICTED MILLAGE? UM, SO THAT'S A UNIQUE QUESTION TO THAT KIND OF ACCOUNT.
SO WE TOOK THAT AND WE BROKE IT DOWN AND APPLIED A NEW RISK CRITERIA.
AND BASICALLY INSTEAD OF SCORING LIKE 10 DIFFERENT CRITERIA, WE LOOKED AT EACH KIND OF REVENUE AND IDENTIFIED FIVE TARGETED RISK CRITERIA.
SO I'M GONNA PICK LIKE SPECIAL REVENUE, PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF CONTRACTS WITH OUTSIDE ENGINEERS, CONSTRUCTION, YOUR BEAU BROTHERS, LIKE THAT'S, THAT'S YOUR PUBLIC WORKS UNIVERSE.
SO WHAT'S YOUR RISK THERE? MIGHT YOUR RISK BE PAYROLL FRAUD? MAYBE, MAYBE NOT.
WHAT'S YOUR GREATER RISK? YOUR GREATER RISK IS BEING BILLED FOR SOMETHING YOU DIDN'T GET.
YOUR SPEC WAS A SIX INCH SLAB AND YOU GOT A FOUR INCH SLAB INSTEAD.
SO THAT IS YOUR RISK IN THAT UNIVERSE.
SO WE BASICALLY TOOK THE RISK AND MAPPED IT TO THE KIND OF REVENUE IT WAS TO TRY TO TARGET THE REAL PROBLEMS GOING ON.
AND THEN WE ARE TURNING AROUND AND DEVELOPING QUESTIONS THAT TARGET THOSE RISKS AS WE DO OUR INTERVIEWS ALL TO COME UP WITH HOPEFULLY A BETTER PICTURE OF THE RISKS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
IT ALSO ALLOWS US TO FOLD IN AND INCORPORATE IN A MORE MEANINGFUL WAY ALL OF THE TIPS THAT WE GET THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.
'CAUSE WE GET A LOT OF COMPLAINTS AND THE WAY WE ASSESS RISKS BEFORE WE WERE NOT ABLE TO LIKE FOLD THEM IN, BUT NOW WE CAN FOLD THEM IN.
'CAUSE WE CAN SAY IF WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT A DEPARTMENT THAT PROPERTY IS BEING STOLEN OR MISUSED WITHIN, WE CAN IDENTIFY THAT AS A RISK AND GO AFTER THAT IN THAT DEPARTMENT.
ANY QUESTIONS? I KNEW YOU WERE GONNA ASK.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, THIS STUFF
UM, BUT THE BRAINSTORMING, THE ASSIGNMENT OF THE RISK, THE LOOKING AT THE RISK, LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE, THAT'S THE WHOLE OFFICE COMES TO THE TABLE AND DISCUSSES.
DID Y'ALL FIND WHEN YOU WERE NARROWING DOWN THE RISK, YOU SAID YOU IDENTIFIED FIVE MM-HMM.
I MEAN, WE SAT AT THE TABLE AND WE WERE PICKING, YOU KNOW, FROM THE LIST OF NINE MM-HMM.
AND IT'S LIKE, AND WE WOULD GO AROUND THE TABLE, WHAT DO YOU THINK? WHAT DO YOU THINK? AND I THINK WE PRETTY MUCH BY COMMITTEE LANDED ON THE SAME FIVE.
UM, AND A LOT OF IT HAD TO DO WITH, WE KNOW THIS IS GOING ON, WE KNOW THAT'S GOING ON.
WE'VE ISSUED A REPORT ON THIS.
UM, SO COLLECTIVELY WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE PAST PROBLEMS MM-HMM.
UM, AND WE WILL BE PRESENTING OUR ANNUAL WORK PLAN TO YOU.
SO SEPTEMBER MEETING, SEPTEMBER.
UM, I SAID THAT WE ARE UNDERGOING OUR PEER REVIEW, WHICH WE DO EVERY THREE YEARS.
SO, UM, ERICA SMITH, UH, DEPUTY OVER, UM, AUDIT IS JUST GOING TO GIVE US A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PEER REVIEW.
SO YOU WILL KNOW BASICALLY, UM, HOW OUR OFFICE IS JUDGED.
Y'ALL HEAR ME IF I JUST TALK LIKE THIS? MM-HMM.
UM, I, I WANNA JUST KIND OF MENTION A FEW THINGS.
UM, KIM AND I ARE ON THE A IG BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND SHE IS AN OFFICER.
AND THEN I'M ON THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
BUT IN THAT ROLE, I AM ALSO ON THE PEER REVIEW COMMITTEE.
SO I GO OUT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
I SAY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, UH, ONCE A YEAR I GO OUT TO ANOTHER OFFICE AND I CONDUCT THEIR PEER REVIEWS.
WE ALSO HAVE TO GET PEER REVIEWS.
SO SHE'S ESSENTIALLY ASKED ME TO GO THROUGH THIS BECAUSE I'M KIND OF INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH THE PROCESS.
SO FIRST I JUST WANNA GIVE YOU A BRIEF BACKGROUND ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION OF INSPECTORS GENERAL.
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THIS IS OUR NATIONAL ORGANIZATION.WE ARE, WE HAVE MEMBERS IN FIVE COUNTRIES, AND ESSENTIALLY THOSE MEMBERS ARE MADE UP OF LOCAL, STATE, FEDERAL IGS, INTERNATIONAL MEMBERS, AND MILITARY INSPECTORS.
GENERAL, THERE'S 45 BOARD MEMBERS.
WE ARE ELECTED FROM THE MEMBERSHIP ACROSS ALL OF THOSE FIVE, UM, ESSENTIALLY COUNTRIES.
AND ONE OF OUR PRIMARY, UM, PURPOSES IS TO PROMULGATE STANDARDS.
SO ESSENTIALLY THE A IG IS CREATING WHAT WE CALL THE GREEN BOOK, BUT THE PRINCIPLES AND STANDARDS FOR OFFICES OF INSPECTORS GENERAL, WE DON'T WING IT
WE ACTUALLY FOLLOW A SET OF STANDARDS WHEN WE ARE CONDUCTING OUR WORK.
THE OTHER THING THAT THEY DO IS SPONSOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
AND THAT COMES IN FORMS OF, UM, CERTIFIED, UH, OR, UH, UH, CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION.
AND THEN WE ALSO DO CONFERENCES AND INSTITUTES, WHICH I'LL JUST TALK ABOUT IN A SECOND.
ANOTHER THING IS WE SUPPORT OFFICES OF INSPECTORS GENERAL, UH, WITH EXTERNAL AND OTHER GOVERNMENT RELATIONS.
WE ARE, I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT WE'RE LOVED IGS ARE NOT GENERALLY LOVED AND WE'RE GENERALLY NOT WELCOMED
UM, BUT WHEN THAT HAPPENS, THERE IS A, A COMMITTEE THAT ESSENTIALLY SUPPORTS THE IG COMMUNITY AND WILL LIAISE LIAISON OR WILL TRY TO REALLY, UM, KIND OF LOBBY FOR GOOD LEGISLATION SO THAT THERE CAN BE EFFECTIVE OVERSIGHT IN BOTH THETO, UH, THE LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL LEVELS.
ALRIGHT, UM, THE A IG HOSTED ANNUAL CONFERENCE, THAT IS, WE ACTUALLY HAVE ONE IN NEW ORLEANS THIS YEAR.
I THINK OUR LAST ONE WAS SEVERAL YEARS AGO, SO THAT'LL BE, UH, IN THE FALL.
AND THEN THEY PROVIDE THIS SEMI-ANNUAL CERTIFICATIONS.
SO YOU, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE KIND OF BEEN ON THE BOARD, YOU'RE PROBABLY MOST FAMILIAR WITH THE CERTIFIED INSPECTOR GENERAL.
KIM AND I BOTH HAVE THOSE, BUT THEY ALSO OFFER THE CERTIFIED INSPECTOR, GENERAL AUDITOR, THE CERTIFIED INSPECTOR, GENERAL INVESTIGATOR, AND THE CERTIFIED INSPECTOR GENERAL EVALUATOR.
SO THESE ARE KIND OF VERY DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC CERTIFICATIONS, UH, DEPENDING ON THE NATURE OF THE WORK THAT YOU DO IN YOUR RESPECTIVE OFFICE.
THE OTHER THING THAT THEY DO IS PROVIDE A PEER REVIEW PROGRAM.
SO WE USE, WE USE THEM, UM, A BECAUSE WE ARE AN INSPECTOR'S GENERAL, BUT ALSO BECAUSE THE ORDINANCE REQUIRES US TO USE THEM.
SO WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PEER REVIEW? WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? WELL, AT A VERY BASIC LEVEL, WHO AUDITS THE AUDITORS, RIGHT? I MENTIONED WE DON'T WING IT.
WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE A SET OF STANDARDS THAT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW.
SO WHEN WE RECEIVE OUR PEER REVIEW EVERY THREE YEARS, IT'S ESSENTIALLY A LEVEL OF ASSURANCE THAT WE ARE COMPLYING WITH OUR STANDARDS.
ALRIGHT, WHO RECEIVES, UH, PEER REVIEWS, PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRMS? UM, I SPENT A NUMBER OF YEARS IN, UH, IN PUBLIC ACCOUNTING, OUR STATE AND LOCAL IGS, OUR FEDERAL IGS.
NOW, WHO DOES THE PEER REVIEW CAN VARY BASED ON YOUR ENABLING LEGISLATION.
UM, THE A IG DOES NOT CONDUCT PEER REVIEWS FOR PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANIES.
THE P-C-A-O-B DOES THAT, BUT IT, THIS IS A VERY COMMON THING THAT HAPPENS WITH AUDITORS, UH, WITH INVESTIGATORS.
THERE'S THREE SETS OF STANDARDS, THREE SETS OF, UH, AUDITING STANDARDS, EVALUATIONS, AND INVESTIGATIONS.
UM, THE FIRST IS THE YELLOW BOOK.
WE, AS OF JANUARY 1ST, ARE FULLY UNDER THE YELLOW BOOK.
SO THE PEER REVIEW THAT'S COMING UP IN, UH, A COUPLE MONTHS WILL BE UNDER THE RED BOOK, WHICH IS PROMULGATED BY THE INSTITUTE OF INTERNAL AUDITORS.
BUT THE NEXT PEER REVIEW IN THREE YEARS WILL BE DONE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE YELLOW BOOK.
THE OTHER ONE IS THE GREEN BOOK, WHICH I MENTIONED IS THE PRINCIPLES AND STANDARDS FOR OFFICES OF INSPECTORS GENERAL.
NOW, IF YOU READ THE STANDARDS, I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO READ THEM, BUT IF YOU READ THEM, WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS THAT THE INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION AND THE EVALUATIONS, ANY EVALUATIONS PRODUCT HAS TO BE CONDUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GREEN BOOK.
IT THEN DEFERS FOR AUDITS TO EITHER USE THE RED BOOK OR THE YELLOW BOOK.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THAT KIND OF THE INVESTIGATIONS AND, AND ANY EVALUATIONS PRODUCTS ARE DONE UNDER THE GREEN BOOK AND WHY AUDIT IS UNDER THE YELLOW BOOK.
SO THESE BOOKS, I, AS WE CALL THEM, REQUIRE PEER REVIEWS TO BE DONE.
UH, THE GREEN BOOK REQUIRES EVERY THREE YEARS.
THE RED BOOK REQUIRES EVERY FIVE YEARS, AND THE YELLOW BOOK REQUIRES EVERY THREE YEARS.
SO BOTH SETS OF STANDARDS THAT WE FOLLOW REQUIRE THREE YEARS.
AND THEN THE ORDINANCE ALSO REQUIRES US TO GET ONE EVERY THREE YEARS.
SO WHY DO WE GET THEM? WELL, YES, RIGHT? IT'S REQUIRED BY LAW, IT'S REQUIRED BY STANDARDS, IT'S REQUIRED BY ORDINANCE.
BUT I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT THIS IS REALLY A PROCESS THAT PROVIDES, UM, A LEVEL OF ASSURANCE AS TO OUR COMPLIANCE WITH STANDARDS.
SO, AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF YOU HAVE AN INDEPENDENT THIRD PARTY COMING IN AND SAYING, YES, THE JEFFERSON PARISH OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL IS COMPLYING WITH THE GREEN BOOK AND COMPLYING WITH, UM, THE YELLOW BOOK, THEN IT GIVES THE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN OUR WORK.
IT GIVES US A SENSE OF CREDIBILITY
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WITH OUR EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS.ALRIGHT, SO HOW DOES THIS, UM, OVERALL, HOW DOES THIS WORK? WE HAVE TO SEND OUT A REQUEST ABOUT SIX TO EIGHT MONTHS IN ADVANCE TO THE ASSOCIATION OF INSPECTORS GENERAL.
AND WE LET THEM KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHEN WE NEED THE PEER REVIEW DONE.
I THINK THAT'S ABOUT, UM, AT OUR THREE YEAR MARK SO THAT THEY CAN ESSENTIALLY START ASSEMBLING A TEAM.
SO WE, THERE'S THE PEER REVIEW CHAIR, UM, HER NAME'S FLORA MILLER.
ESSENTIALLY, WE REACH OUT TO HER AND THEN SHE WILL SELECT A TEAM LEAD.
NOW SHE'S FAMILIAR WITH MOST OF THE OFFICES, RIGHT, THAT WE DO PEER REVIEWS ON.
SO BASED ON THE, THE SIZE OF THE OFFICE AND THE TYPE OF THE, THE TYPE OF STANDARDS THAT WE FOLLOW, THE NUMBER OF REPORTS, SHE'LL ESSENTIALLY ASSIGN A TEAM LEAD.
AND THEN THAT TEAM LEAD WILL SELECT TEAM MEMBERS TO CONDUCT THE PEER REVIEW.
THESE PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS.
WE DON'T BRING PEOPLE IN RIGHT OUTTA COLLEGE TO DO THESE.
THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, HAD 10, 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE IG COMMUNITY.
THEY'RE WELL VERSED IN STANDARDS.
UM, ALTHOUGH I'VE, I'VE DONE INVESTIGATIVE WORK BOTH IN NEW ORLEANS AND THEN PROVIDE ASSISTANCE HERE IN JEFFERSON PARISH.
I DON'T DO PEER REVIEWS FOR THE INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION.
I ONLY DO THEM FOR AUDITS AND EVALUATIONS.
THEY REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ASSIGNED HAVE THAT KIND OF SPECIALTY IN, IN THOSE CERTAIN AREAS.
UM, AND YOU'VE GOTTA BE ABLE TO KNOW HOW TO DO PEER REVIEWS.
SO WE DO BRING PEOPLE ON WHERE THEY'RE KIND OF TRAINED, I GUESS, KINDA LIKE YOU CAN MAYBE CONSIDER THEM LIKE SHADOWS SO THAT THEY CAN LEARN HOW TO DO PEER REVIEWS AND THEN ULTIMATELY GO OUT AND CONDUCT THEIR OWN.
IT'S GENERALLY A THREE STEP PROCESS.
UH, THERE'S PREPARATION, THERE'S A SITE VISIT THAT LASTS ABOUT TWO TO FIVE DAYS.
AND THEN THERE'S A REPORTING PROCESS FROM START TO FINISH.
IT TAKES ABOUT THREE MONTHS FOR OF, OF A PEER REVIEWER'S TIME.
NOT CONSISTENT, YOU KNOW, EVERY HOUR, 35 HOURS A WEEK FOR THREE MONTHS.
BUT GENERALLY YOU'RE WORKING KIND OF IN AND OUT OF THIS FOR ABOUT THREE MONTHS.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE GONNA BE REVIEWED ARE INDEPENDENCE.
THAT'S, UH, SUPER IMPORTANT TO HAVE BOTH STRUCTURAL INDEPENDENCE AND PERSONAL INDEPENDENCE.
THEY'LL BE LOOKING AT OUR COMPETENCE.
THEY'LL BE LOOKING AT HOW WE PLAN, HOW WE DOCUMENT SUPERVISION.
THEY'LL BE REVIEWING WORK PAPERS.
THEY'LL BE LOOKING AT OUR LEGAL AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS.
THEY'LL BE COMPARING THOSE THINGS TO OUR REPORTING STANDARDS.
UM, AND THEN THEY'LL BE LOOKING AT OPEN AND CLOSED WORK PRODUCT.
NOW I SAY OPEN, THEY'RE NOT OPINING ON OPEN PRODUCT, BUT THEY DO LIKE TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON THROUGH RISK ASSESSMENT.
UM, AND TO JUST KIND OF, AGAIN, UNDERSTAND THE, THE NATURE OF, OF SOME OF THE WORKS THAT WE DO.
THE LAST THING THAT I WANNA MENTION IS THE EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS.
SO WE WILL PROVIDE A LIST OF POTENTIAL EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS.
I'M GONNA JUST MAKE AN ASSUMPTION THAT ALL OF YOU, OR AT LEAST A FEW OF YOU WILL BE ON THAT LIST.
I'M SURE THEY'LL SELECT, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY, BUT YOU MAY GET A CALL.
ONE OR MORE OF, YOU MAY GET A CALL FROM THE PEER REVIEW TEAM ESSENTIALLY ASKING TO INTERVIEW YOU.
AND THEY'RE REALLY GONNA WANNA ASK YOU THINGS ABOUT HOW ARE YOU WORKING WITH THE OFFICE? ARE THERE, WHERE DO YOU THINK OUR STRENGTHS ARE? WHERE DO YOU THINK OUR WEAKNESSES ARE? DO YOU THINK WE'RE OVERALL AN EFFECTIVE OFFICE? SO JUST DON'T BE SURPRISED IF, IF YOU GET A CALL, YOU ARE ALSO INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS.
ALRIGHT, SO IN THE PREPARATION PHASE OF THIS, THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK AND, AND BACKGROUND RESEARCH THAT'S DONE.
SO EVEN BEFORE WE STEP ON SITE TO DO A PEER REVIEW, WE ARE LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE ENABLING LEGISLATION TO MAKE SURE THAT THE OFFICE IS STRUCTURALLY INDEPENDENT.
WE'RE LOOKING AT ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTS TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, DUTIES ARE PROPERLY ALIGNED AND THERE'S A, A LEVEL OF SUPERVISION THERE.
WE LOOK AT RESUMES, WE LOOK AT, UH, CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION JUST TO, TO KIND OF CHECK THAT, THAT COMPETENCE, UH, BOX THAT'S REQUIRED UNDER THE STANDARDS.
THEY ALSO, UH, REVIEW IG WIDE AND DIVISION SPECIFIC POLICIES.
THIS IS WHERE OUR, OUR RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD.
INTERNAL CONTROLS ARE DOCUMENTED.
SO THIS IS OUR QUALITY CONTROL KIND OF STRUCTURE HERE.
AND ULTIMATELY THIS IS WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO USE TO ASSESS, TO MAKE SURE WE'RE COMPLYING WITH STANDARDS.
THEY'LL GET A LISTING OF OPEN, OR, EXCUSE ME, OF CLOSED AND ISSUED REPORTS.
I SAY CLOSED AND ISSUED BECAUSE THERE ARE ELEMENTS OF THE STANDARDS THAT IF YOU CLOSE AND AUDIT OUT AND DON'T ISSUE A REPORT, THERE IS CERTAIN DOCUMENTATION THAT HAS TO BE IN THE BINDER AS TO WHY.
SO WE PROVIDE ALL OF THAT, AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA READ REPORTS BEFORE THEY STEP ON SITE.
IT'S THOSE REPORTS THAT THEY'RE ULTIMATELY GOING TO SELECT TO LOOK AT THE WORK PAPERS AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE PROPERLY SUPPORTED WITH EVIDENCE.
ALRIGHT, ON THE SITE VISIT, THEY'LL ARRIVE AND HAVE AN ENTRANCE CONFERENCE WITH THE INSPECTOR GENERAL AND GENERALLY SENIOR LEADERSHIP.
THEY THEN, UM, WILL TALK WITH PROBABLY MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN THE OFFICE.
SOMETIMES IF IT'S A REALLY LARGE OFFICE, WE CAN'T GET TO EVERYONE, BUT THEY DO TALK TO A NUMBER OF PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW ARE YOU OPERATING ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.
REMEMBER, THEY'VE ALREADY READ OUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES,
[00:30:01]
SO THEY HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING, BUT WHAT'S WRITTEN DOWN ISN'T ALWAYS WHAT HAPPENS.SO THAT'S WHERE THIS INTERVIEW PROCESS IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO SEE, ARE THE CONTROLS DESIGNED IN THE POLICIES AND ARE THEY OPERATING EFFECTIVELY IN REALITY? UM, TYPICALLY THERE'S NO ADVANCE NOTICE OR VERY LITTLE ADVANCE NOTICE AS TO THE REPORTS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO SELECT TO REVIEW WORK PAPERS.
SO THEY'VE READ REPORTS MAYBE A MONTH IN ADVANCE OR A COUPLE WEEKS IN ADVANCE, BUT THEY DON'T TELL US THAT THAT'S WHAT THEY'VE SELECTED.
THEY COME ON SITE AND THEY SAY, SHOW ME YOUR WORK PAPERS TO SUPPORT THIS.
NOT THAT, NOT THAT ANY IG WOULD, BUT IT JUST KIND OF ELIMINATES ANY, UM, ABILITY TO ALTER ANYTHING, RIGHT? THAT'S JUST, UM, SO KIND OF A, A GOOD STANDARD PRACTICE.
ALRIGHT? UM, AGAIN, THEY'RE LOOKING AT OUR INTERNAL, UH, QUALITY CONTROL SYSTEM.
SO THEY'LL BE, AGAIN, THEY'RE LOOKING AT OUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE, THE EVIDENCE THAT WE'VE OBTAINED.
THEY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT'S PROPERLY SUPPORTED, THAT IT'S SUFFICIENT, THAT IT'S APPROPRIATE.
UM, THEY DON'T SUBSTITUTE, THEY WON'T BE SUBSTITUTING THEIR JUDGMENT FOR OUR JUDGMENT.
SO THEY WON'T SAY, OH, UM, YOU SHOULD HAVE SELECTED 50 AND YOU SELECTED A HUNDRED.
THEY'RE VERY COMPLIANCE BASED ON IF YOU'VE SELECTED A SAMPLE, DID YOU PROJECT TO THE POPULATION? WAS THAT DONE CORRECTLY? IS THE, IS IT, ARE THE CONCLUSIONS SUPPORTED? SO THEY'RE NOT TRYING TO SUBSTITUTE THEIR JUDGMENT FOR OURS.
AGAIN, IT'S A VERY COMPLIANCE BASED, UM, PROCESS.
I MEAN, THEY ARE IN OUR WORK PAPERS AND THEY ARE TICKING AND TYING, AND THEY'RE ASKING ABOUT EVIDENCE.
AND, UH, REALLY AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR CONCLUSIONS AND OUR FINDINGS ARE SUPPORTED.
I MENTIONED THIS A LITTLE BIT EARLIER.
THEY'LL DO INTERVIEWS WITH PROBABLY SOME OF YOU.
THEY'LL ALSO DO INTERVIEWS WITH PEOPLE IN THE PARISH, PEOPLE IN THE COUNCIL.
UM, I MEAN, KIM PROVIDES A PRETTY LONG LIST OF POTENTIAL STAKEHOLDERS AND THEY RANDOMLY SELECT.
WE DON'T GET TO PICK, THEY JUST, THEY SELECT THEM, THEY SEND THEM TO US, AND THEN WE COORDINATE, UM, DATES AND TIMES THAT WORK FOR THE INTERVIEWS.
UM, I'VE SEEN A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES.
PEOPLE DON'T ALWAYS PASS PEER REVIEW.
UM, SO I, I PERSONALLY WAS ON AN ENGAGEMENT WHERE I WAS REVIEWING AN AUDIT SHOP, AND I CAN TELL YOU THERE WERE, THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES WERE ABOUT THREE PAGES LONG, AND THEY WERE UNDER YELLOW BOOK.
AND IF YOU GUYS KNOW HOW THICK THE YELLOW BOOK IS, IT'S ABOUT THIS THICK.
UM, THE WORK WASN'T SUPPORTED.
AND WE ULTIMATELY WENT TO THE IG AND SAID, YOU KIND OF HAVE TWO OPTIONS HERE.
WE'RE EITHER GONNA FAIL YOU OR YOU CAN WITHDRAW FROM THE PEER REVIEW AND KIND OF GET IT TOGETHER, SO TO SPEAK.
SO IT'S NOT A GUARANTEE THAT YOU'RE GONNA PASS.
UM, AND AGAIN, WE HAVE FAILED PEOPLE.
WE'VE ALSO ISSUED DEFICIENCY LETTERS WHERE MAYBE THERE'S CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF THE STANDARDS THAT, UH, AN IG SHOP HAS NOT COMPLIANT WITH.
SO IT'S NOT A GIMME, UM, IT'S NOT, UH, JUST A A, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE AUTOMATICALLY GONNA GET AN A.
ERICA, MAY I ASK A QUICK QUESTION? UM, IS THERE AN APPEAL OR IT IS, IT'S JUST YOU PASS OR NOT PASS OR WITHDRAW? UM, SO NO, THERE'S NOT REALLY AN APPEAL.
I MEAN, YOU HAVE AN OPTION, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
SO YOU ENGAGED THE A IG TO CONDUCT A PEER REVIEW.
SO NOW YOU'VE KIND OF ENGAGED FOR A SERVICE, RIGHT? SO WE CAN'T LIE AND SAY, OH, YOU'RE GONNA PASS.
SO THE OPTION IS WE'RE GOING TO FAIL YOU, OR WE MAY ISSUE A LETTER OF DEFICIENCY OR YOU WITHDRAW.
I MEAN, THERE'S NOT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, YOU CAN GO UP TO THE PEER REVIEW CHAIR, BUT I MEAN, THOSE REALLY ARE JUST THE OPTIONS.
HOW, HOW, HOW DOES QUESTION, CAN I, OF COURSE, THE OPTION TO WITHDRAW, UH, HOW, HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WELL, THERE'S NOT AN OPTION TO WITHDRAW HERE BECAUSE WE ARE, MAN, THERE'S A MANDATE IN OUR ORDINANCES THAT THEY MUST BE PEER REVIEWED EVERY THREE YEARS, SO THEY CAN'T WITHDRAW.
SO WE WILL RECEIVE A REPORT OF PASS FAIL OR OTHERWISE THAT THERE'S NOT AN OPTION E EVEN IF THERE ARE DEFICIENCIES, WHICH WE HOPE CERTAINLY THERE AREN'T, UH, BUT UNDER OUR ORDINANCES, THAT'S NOT AN OPTION THAT THEY CAN EVEN CONSIDER.
WHAT ABOUT THE ACCREDITING AGENCY? DO THEY HAVE THAT OPTION? YOU MEAN THE A I YOU MEAN THE A IG MM-HMM.
WELL, I MEAN, WE WOULDN'T, WE WOULDN'T VOLUNTARILY WITHDRAW.
I MEAN, WE WOULD, WE, BECAUSE WE'RE, OUR PURPOSE IS LITERALLY TO OPINE ON COMPLIANCE WITH STANDARD.
SO THAT'S NOT SOMETHING WE WOULD INITIATE.
WE WOULD AGAIN KIND OF SAY, THESE ARE YOUR OPTIONS.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO, UM, GIVE YOU A PASS WHEN CLEARLY YOU FAILED.
I MEAN, THERE'S ONLY A KIND OF A FINITE LEVEL OF, I I ONLY ASK BECAUSE IN POLICE WORK THAT ENDS UP BEING DANGEROUS WHERE YEAH.
AS, UH, SOMEONE IS ALLOWED TO QUIT FACING INVESTIGATION.
AND WE HAVE TO REPORT WHY SOMEONE WAS TERMINATED.
SO THAT THEY DON'T GO TO WORK, PUT ON A DIFFERENT JERSEY AND GO WORK NEXT DOOR.
NO, THAT MAKES COMPLETE SENSE.
AND, AND REALLY, IT, IT LOOKS BAD IF YOU'RE WITHDRAWING.
[00:35:01]
I, I MEAN, SO THERE'S, UM, AND THAT GOVERNING BOARD TOO, UM, WAS INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS.THEY KNEW THAT THERE WAS A WITHDRAWAL.
UM, AND THEN THAT'S KIND OF BETWEEN THE IG AND THE GOVERNING BOARD AT THAT POINT TO, TO DETERMINE, UM, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
BUT NOT EVERY IG HAS THE ENABLING LEGISLATION THAT WE HAVE.
SO KIND OF TO MR. SULLIVAN'S POINT, IT'S REQUIRED HERE.
IT'S NOT LIKE THAT IN ALL OTHER IG SHOPS.
ONE, ONE OF THE REASONS WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT PROCESSES, ASIDE FROM YOUR, THIS COMMISSION'S REVIEW ANNUALLY OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL HERSELF, WE HAVE THOSE TWO LEVELS OF REVIEW FROM EXTERNAL SOURCES.
ONE IS THE QUALITY ASSURANCE COMMITTEE, AND THE OTHER IS PEER REVIEW, BECAUSE YOU WANT TO HEAR AS A COMMISSION FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES.
UH, AND I WOULD CERTAINLY RATHER A REPORT WITH A DEFICIENCY THAN A, THAN A WITHDRAWAL.
AND I, I THINK THERE'S NO QUESTION ANYBODY ELSE IN THIS ROOM WOULD ALSO WANT THAT.
BUT, BUT THERE'S A REASON WE HAVE THAT YOU AS A COMMISSIONER ARE CHARGED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE BEST POSSIBLE INSEC INSPECTOR GENERAL THAT WE CAN HAVE.
AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT, YOU RELY ON THAT PEER REVIEW FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE.
UM, I'VE SEEN, UM, AND I WON'T REALLY HARP ON THIS, BUT I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN THINGS OF INSUFFICIENT WORK PAPERS.
I'VE SEEN CONCLUSIONS THAT ARE NOT SUPPORTED.
WE HAVE, THERE'S NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT CONCLUSIONS.
UM, I'VE SEEN GENERAL NON-COMPLIANCE WITH STANDARDS, LACK OF TRAINING.
I'VE SEEN PEOPLE THAT JUST ARE NOT GETTING THEIR CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AND THEY HAVE NO CREDENTIALS.
IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T BE RIGHT OUTTA COLLEGE AND WORKING, BUT LIKE COLLECTIVELY, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO BE ABLE TO DO THE WORK.
AND I HAVE SEEN INSTANCES IN WHERE THERE, THE COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE IS NOT THERE IN THE DEPARTMENT.
SO AGAIN, IT JUST KIND OF GOES TO THE POINT AS IN OTHER PLACES.
I'M, I'M KIND OF SPEAKING FROM MY TIME ON A PEER ON PEER REVIEW COMMITTEE AND TEAM THAT THIS IS NOT THE SITUATION HERE.
I, I'M LESS CONCERNED OVER CONCLUSIONS BECAUSE AS YOU WILL SEE, THEY'RE GRILLED PRETTY HEAVILY IN THIS ROOM.
UH, NOT JUST BY OTHER OUTSIDE SOURCES, BUT THIS ROOM, UH, THEY'RE PROBABLY VERY ACCUSTOMED TO MY GRILLING THAN PROBABLY WORSE THAN, THAN PEER REVIEW WILL EVER GRILL THEM.
I WAS SPEAKING OF, IN TERMS OF CHALLENGES THAT I'VE SEEN ACROSS THE PEER REVIEWS THAT I'VE DONE, UM, SO ONCE THEY'RE DONE, THEY'RE, WE'LL HAVE AN EXIT CONFERENCE WITH THE PEER REVIEW TEAM, WHERE THEY ESSENTIALLY TELL US, DID YOU PASS, DID YOU FAIL? OR DID YOU PASS WITH DEFICIENCIES? AND THEN THERE'S A REPORTING PERIOD.
SO WE WILL GET A FORMAL OPINION LETTER, USUALLY WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE CONCLUSION OF THE PEER REVIEW THAT HAS TO BE PUBLISHED.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S THE SECOND MANAGEMENT LETTER THAT GENERALLY COMES WITHIN ABOUT 90 DAYS.
THAT'S OPTIONAL TO BE PUBLISHED UNLESS THERE'S SOME ORDINANCE OR LAW OR A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING THAT IT GETS, THAT IT GETS PUBLISHED.
AND, AND ONE, AND LET ME JUST INTERRUPT.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WITH KIM, UH, IS WE WOULD REQUEST THAT THAT BE PUBLISHED, AT LEAST TO THE COMMISSION.
WE WEREN'T AWARE THAT THAT WAS AN OPTION.
BUT NOW THAT WE HAVE AN OPTION, I THINK IT, IT GIVES GREATER TRANSPARENCY TO YOU, TO US AND, AND TO ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS AS, AS WHAT THOSE ISSUES ARE, IF ANY.
UM, AND THAT LETTER WILL INCLUDE AREAS OF DISTINCTION.
WE ALWAYS LIKE TO KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING WELL, UM, SO THAT WE KEEP DOING IT.
AND THEN AREAS FOR CONSIDERATION, THERE'S AREAS OF CONSIDERATION MAY NOT BE, UM, COMPLIANCE BASED, BUT WHEN THEY'RE OUT THERE, THEY MAY JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, HEY, LOOK, THESE ARE SOME AREAS IN WHICH WE THINK YOU CAN JUST MAYBE BE MORE EFFICIENT OR BE MORE EFFECTIVE, BUT MAYBE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, COMPLYING WITH THE STANDARDS.
UH, I MENTIONED THIS ABOUT PUBLICATION.
DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? IT'S BEEN A LONG A LOT OF INFORMATION.
WHO PAYS FOR THIS? UM, IS IT IN YOUR BUDGET? YEAH.
UM, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, HEAD, I COULDN'T TELL YOU LIKE AN EXACT DOLLAR FIGURE.
I CAN TELL YOU IT'S REALLY THE, THE PEOPLE PARTICIPATING ON THE PEER REVIEW COME WITHIN THE INSPECTOR GENERAL COMMUNITY, SUCH AS LIKE ERICA GOES OUT AND DOES PEER REVIEW.
UM, I SUPPORT HER DOING THAT SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, OTHER OFFICES SUPPORT THEIR TEAM MEMBERS TO COME TO OUR OFFICE TO DO PEER REVIEW.
SO IT'S SORT OF LIKE A, AN EXCHANGE SYSTEM.
THEN WHEN THEY COME HERE, AND KEEP IN MIND, MOST OF THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, SO THEY'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THIS.
YOU KNOW, WE GET GOVERNMENT RATES AT THE HOTEL, UM, AND THEY GET A PER DIEM, A GOVERNMENT PER DIEM.
SO THEY COME AND THEY COMPLY WITH OUR TRAVEL POLICIES.
UM, AND THEY'RE ACCUSTOMED TO THAT.
UM, AND SO IT'S PLAIN FAIR, UM, USUALLY LIKE TWO NIGHTS AT A HOTEL IN PER DIEM FOR TWO DAYS.
BUT IN ROUND FIGURES, IS IT 10 GRAND OR A HUNDRED GRAND? UH, UH, LESS THAN 10.
CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN 10, YEAH.
[00:40:01]
DIE BASED ON STATE RATES.YOU CAN, YOU CAN, IF YOU WANNA GET LESS, BUT IT'S A STATE RATE ON WHAT PER DIEM IS.
WELL, BUT THERE ARE MORE COSTS BESIDES THESE PEOPLE COMING.
I MEAN, SOMEBODY HAS TO WRITE THESE REPORTS AND OH, NO.
AND DO ALL THIS OTHER STUFF THAT'S, THAT'S BUILT INTO THE SYSTEM BECAUSE IT'S A, UH, I WOULD GO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF I WENT TO SOMEBODY ELSE'S OFFICE, I'M WRITING THE REPORT.
THAT'S PART OF BEING IN THIS RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER INSPECTOR GENERAL OFFICES.
SO, SO IT'S A, IT'S A NATIONAL ASSOCIATION.
IT'S MY TURN TO WRITE A REPORT THIS YEAR.
IT'LL BE YOUR TURN TO WRITE THE REPORT NEXT YEAR.
SO YOU DON'T PAY FOR, THAT'S NOT A COST.
TIME IS NOT AN, IT'S LESS THAN, LESS THAN 10 GRAND.
OH, IT'S, I, IT'S, I I THINK IT'S THAN LESS THAN FIVE.
UNLESS THEY'RE COMING FROM FEE AND TO THE ASSOCIATION.
IS THERE LIKE AN ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEE TO THE ASSOCIATION? WE DO PAY FOR OUR MEMBERSHIP IN THE ASSOCIATION BECAUSE IT'S THE ASSOCIATION THROUGH WHICH WE ARE CREDENTIALED.
SO YES, OUR MEMBERSHIP IS MORE ASSOCIATED WITH OUR CREDENTIALS.
EACH ONE THAT HAS A CREDENTIAL WOULD BE A PARTICIPANT, JUST LIKE BAR DUE THAT WE HAVE TO PAY WHETHER WE WANT TO OR NOT, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT COMPENSATED FOR TIME.
WE'RE NOT PAYING SOMEONE AN HOURLY RATE TO COME AND DO THIS AND WRITE REPORTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
ON THE OTHER HAND, WHEN WE, WHEN OUR PEOPLE VOLUNTEER SOMEWHERE ELSE, WE ARE COVERING THAT COST.
SO, I MEAN, WE'RE NOT TRACKING IT AS AN OUTGOING COST AND SHOULDN'T, I DON'T THINK.
AND, AND TO THAT SAME POINT, OUR QUALITY ASSURANCE COMMITTEE RECEIVES NO COMPENSATION.
UH, OUR CURRENT NOMINEE FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS IS JIM LETTEN, THE FORMER US ATTORNEY, UH, WHO IS THE APPOINTEE OF THE COMMISSION.
YOU CAN REASSESS THAT EVERY YEAR.
BUT HE'S ALWAYS BEEN OUR APPOINTEE IN THAT PROCESS AT NO COST AS WELL.
DO YOU NEED TO TELL THEM WHO? SHE'S MY APOLOGIES.
AND GINA JUST IDENTIFIED I FAIL TO IDENTIFY MARTA SCHNABEL
'CAUSE I KNEW THAT WAS COMING.
UM, BEFORE I WAS APPOINTED INSPECTOR GENERAL, I SERVED AS FIRST ASSISTANT IN GENERAL COUNSEL.
AND THEN ONCE I TOOK OVER HERE, I COULD NOT CONTINUE AS GENERAL COUNSEL.
UM, AND MARTA BROUGHT IN HERSELF AND HER FIRM AND THE DIVERSITY AND THE BENCH OF KNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE GOTTEN SINCE SHE WAS RETAINED HAS BEEN A BLESSING.
BUT I AM A LITTLE BIT OF AN EXPERIMENT.
WE'RE, RATHER THAN HAVING AN IN-HOUSE PERSON, WE ARE EXTERNAL WITHIN THE SAME BUDGETARY FRAMEWORK.
OF WHAT AN EMPLOYEE, PROBABLY LESS THAN WHAT AN EMPLOYEE WOULD KNOW.
IT'S, IT'S ACTUALLY LESS, AS WE COMPARED BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, IT IS A COST THAT'S LESS THAN HAVING IN-HOUSE.
AND, AND I'VE KNOWN MARTA MANY, MANY YEARS, AND SHE IS A FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE LOUISIANA BAR ASSOCIATION.
SHE IS INTIMATELY INVOLVED WITH ETHICAL REPRESENTATION OF, OF ATTORNEYS BEFORE THE LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT.
SO SHE BRINGS A, A GREAT WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE TO KIM'S OFFICE, UH, THAT SHE'S VERY MUCH INVOLVED IN THE PREPARATION OF THEIR REPORTS AND FINALIZATION OF THOSE REPORTS.
A AND, AND ONE OF THE THINGS I BRING THAT OUTSIDE COUNSEL SOMETIMES OFFERS IS, HEY, I'M AN EXTERNAL PERSON LOOKING AT WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND HOW THEY'RE OPERATING EVERY DAY.
SO I'M NOT ACTUALLY A PEER REVIEWER, BUT I DO KNOW HOW MUCH WORK GOES INTO EVERYTHING.
AND I'M WATCHING WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE QUALITY OF THE WORK PRODUCT THAT'S COMING OUT.
SOMETIMES I'M IN THE TRENCHES HELPING THEM EDIT THINGS AND WORK ON THINGS OR ANSWERING LEGAL QUESTIONS FOR THEM ON THINGS.
YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT SOME OF THAT GOING FORWARD.
UM, SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT, IT'S A NICE BALANCE.
AND AS LONG AS WE CAN KEEP THE BUDGET NUMBERS WORKING SO THAT IT'S NOT MORE EXPENSIVE THAN HAVING AN IN-HOUSE PERSON, WE OFFER A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBILITY.
UM, WE COMPLETED TIMELY OUR STAFF EVALUATIONS FOR, UH, GREG LEPARD, WHO UNFORTUNATELY IS NOT HERE TONIGHT, AS WELL AS OUR DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL ERICA SMITH.
UM, AND OUR ADMINISTRATIVE AIDE, GINA DDU, WAS ALSO EVALUATED DURING THIS TIME PERIOD.
UM, IT IS NOT AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA.
THERE IS NOT A LOT TO BE SAID, BUT I'LL CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT JEFFERSON PARISH HAS MIGRATED OVER FROM JEFF PARRISH.NET TO JEFF PARRISH.GOV.
UM, THE REASON THAT OUR OFFICE, UM, IS JPO I G.NET AND THAT THE EC IS JP ECC.NET IS BECAUSE THAT, UM, WAS THE EXTENSION THAT THE PARISH HAD WHEN THE OFFICE, UM, CAME ONLINE BECAUSE THE PARISH HAS MIGRATED OVER TO.GOV.
I HAVE A MEETING SET UP WITH THE DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY
[00:45:01]
TO DISCUSS WHAT THAT MIGRATION LOOKED LIKE, AND THEN I WILL BEGIN DISCUSSIONS WITH OUR IT PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE FOR US TO LINE UP WITH THE PARISH.WE DO NOT WANNA BE.NET IF THEY ARE.GOV.
UM, SO I'LL TAKE THAT ON AND I'LL GIVE YOU AN UPDATE NEXT MEETING.
UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO, TO GIVE YOU A HEADS UP.
I, I WILL SAY I DID THAT WITH THE STATE AGENCY REGENCY RECENTLY.
THAT'S LA.GOV AS OPPOSED TO LA US STATE.
AND THE MIGRATION WAS SEAMLESS.
SO I WOULD ANTICIPATE IT'LL BE A SEAMLESS MIGRATION WITHOUT ANY ISSUES.
UM, IN TERMS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, BOTH MYSELF AND, UM, DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL, JEFF AOL ATTENDED THE ASSOCIATION OF FRAUD EXAMINERS, AND WE EACH EARNED, UH, 40 HOURS OF CEUS.
UM, OUR FINDINGS TRACKER WAS UPDATED ONLINE, UH, TO INCLUDE, UM, COST ASSOCIATED AND IDENTIFIED BY OUR PUBLIC REPORT.
SO OUR FINDINGS TRACKER IS UPDATED QUARTERLY.
UM, AND SO IT WAS LAST UPDATED IN THE END OF MARCH.
AND NOW WE ARE GOOD THROUGH THE END OF JUNE.
UM, I HAVE REPORTED OUR MILESTONES OF INTAKES OPEN VERSUS CLOSED PER YEAR OVER, UM, THE LIFESPAN OF THE OFFICE.
UM, AS WELL, YOU WILL SEE ANY INTAKES OPENED SINCE OUR LAST MEETING.
THERE'S NO OTHER INFORMATION THAT'S PROVIDED ON THAT BECAUSE OF THE CONFIDENTIAL NATURE.
UM, OF THOSE TIPS, WE WILL EACH MEETING GIVE YOU CASES OPEN VERSUS CASES CLOSED OVER THE LIFESPAN OF THE OFFICE.
AND THEN IF YOU TURN TO PAGE FOUR, WE WILL UPDATE YOU ON THE PROGRESS THAT WE HAVE ON AUDITS AND EVALUATIONS.
AGAIN, WE DON'T GIVE PROGRESS UPDATES ON INVESTIGATIONS FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.
UM, WE ARE COMPLETING FIELD WORK AND HEADING INTO DEVELOPING, UM, FINDINGS FOR THE AUDIT REPORT.
UM, THIS IS A AUDIT OF, UM, PAID LEAVE FOR OFF DUTY INJURIES TO FIREMEN.
SO OF COURSE, IF FIREMEN ARE INJURED ON DUTY, THAT'S KIND OF HANDLED AS A WORKERS' COMP, BUT FIREMEN RECEIVE PAYMENT FOR INJURIES OCCURRING OFF DUTY.
UM, SO THIS IS AN AUDIT OF THOSE PAYMENTS.
UM, IT'S PROBABLY THE MOST COMPLICATED, UM, AUDIT THE OFFICE HAS TAKEN ON.
UM, AND I REALLY GIVE CREDIT TO GREG GLEN PART, I'M SORRY, HE'S NOT HERE TO HEAR IT.
UM, BECAUSE HE STARTED THIS AUDIT IN LIKE FALL OF LAST YEAR, AND WE EXPECT TO PUBLISH THE AUDIT THIS YEAR.
UM, IT COULD GO OUT IN DRAFT AS EARLY AS SEPTEMBER AND GET TO YOU.
LET ME ASK YOU, BECAUSE IF YOU'LL SEE THERE'S A FOOTNOTE TO THAT AUDIT.
AND I HAVE A SERIOUS CONCERN, AND I WARN KIM, I WAS GONNA BRING THIS UP.
UM, THERE'S A NOTE THAT SAYS, INC.
BANK CONSOLIDATED FIRES DELAYED DUE TO THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WITHHOLDING DOCUMENTS.
COULD YOU EXPLAIN THAT IN DETAIL? BECAUSE THAT SHOULD NOT BE A PROCESS THAT INVOLVES THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
SO IF FIREMEN ARE INJURED ON DUTY, THEN THOSE CLAIMS, AS IT WERE, KIND OF GO THROUGH A WORKERS' COMP CLAIM ADJUSTMENT PROCESS, WHICH IS PREDICTABLE.
HOWEVER, IF THE INJURIES HAPPEN OFF DUTY, THEY DO NOT FOLLOW THAT SAME PROCESS.
I, I'M, AND I'M BEING HONEST, THE AUDIT REPORT IS NOT COMPILED TOGETHER.
SO I CAN'T TELL YOU EXACTLY SITTING HERE TODAY WHAT PROCESS THEY DO FOLLOW.
IT'S JUST, I'M NOT SURE IT IS A PROCESS.
BUT AT SOME POINT IT GOES THROUGH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THEN AT SOME POINT THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE GETS INVOLVED.
UM, AND WE KNOW, WE KNEW, WE LEARNED THAT THE PARISH ATTORNEY GOT INVOLVED BECAUSE IN THE COURSE OF REQUESTING DOCUMENTS THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT TO BE MAINTAINED WITHIN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, WE GOT AN ANSWER.
WELL, THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PARISH ATTORNEY HAS.
AND SO OF COURSE, THAT LED US TO THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO A SPECIFIC ASSISTANT PARISH ATTORNEY WHO WORKS WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND OUR INITIAL ASK WAS, CAN WE SIT DOWN AND DISCUSS? BECAUSE AGAIN, WE DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE PARISH ATTORNEY WAS DOING OR THE ROLE THAT THEY WERE PLAYING.
WE GOT BACK A RESPONSE, WE CANNOT TALK TO YOU BECAUSE OF PENDING LITIGATION.
AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT I WENT TO OUR AUDITOR, GREG LAMPARD, AND SAID, WHAT DID YOU ASK FOR? AND HE SAID, I ASKED TO SIT DOWN.
I'M LIKE, WELL, WHAT LITIGATION ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT? HE'S LIKE, I DON'T KNOW.
SO I SAID, WE'LL, WRITE THEM BACK
[00:50:01]
AND SAY LIKE, WHAT LITIGATION ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? AND THEY NEVER DID GIVE US AN ANSWER.I CALLED THE PARISH ATTORNEY AND SAID, WE NEED TO SIT DOWN AND FIND OUT WHAT'S YOUR PROCESS.
AND THE PARISH ATTORNEY SAYS, WE THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO TALK ABOUT LITIGATION.
WE JUST NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS.
SO EVENTUALLY HE GOT TO THE ASSISTANT PARISH ATTORNEY.
THEY DID HAVE A DISCUSSION THAT LED THEN ESSENTIALLY TO AN ASK FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM, LIKE CLAIM FILES.
LIKE WHAT ARE YOU KEEPING TO LOOK AT THIS STUFF THAT'S GOING ON WITH OFF-DUTY INJURIES AND, AND SICK LEAVE? RIGHT.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, I THINK SOME OF IT IS POLICY RELATED TO SICK LEAVE.
I'VE BEEN HAD MY NOSE IN THIS ONE.
SO WE GOT BACK A SLEW OF FILES, UM, WHICH MR. LAMPARD IS GOING THROUGH, BUT THEN WE ALSO GOT BACK AN EMAIL THAT SAID, WE ARE NOT PROVIDING YOU DOCUMENTS BECAUSE THEY'RE PRIVILEGED WITH NO EXPLANATION AS TO THE PRIVILEGE.
AND THEN OF COURSE, THEN I HAD TO ASK, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY PRIVILEGE? 'CAUSE THERE COULD BE ATTORNEY CLIENT PRIVILEGE, THERE COULD BE A BELIEF OF HIPAA, THERE COULD BE A BELIEF OF CONFIDENTIALITY.
LIKE, ARE YOU USING IT TECHNICALLY? ARE YOU USING IT? GENERALLY THE WORD PRIVILEGE, WHEN THEY ASK, DID THEY PROVIDE A PRIVILEGE LOG? AND WHEN I SAY PRIVILEGE LOG, WHEN YOU SAY SOMETHING'S PRIVILEGED, IN MY WORLD, YOU HAVE TO WRITE EVERY DOCUMENT YOU'RE WITHHOLDING AND SAY WHY IT'S PRIVILEGED.
SO IF YOU DON'T KNOW THAT FOR SOMEBODY TO USE THIS BLANKET TERM PRIVILEGED IS, IS A VERY INAPPROPRIATE USE OF THAT LANGUAGE, AND IT DOESN'T EXPLAIN TO YOU WHY THERE'S A PROBLEM.
SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, FIRST I CLARIFIED, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY PRIVILEGE? AND THEY RESPONDED, ATTORNEY CLIENT PRIVILEGE.
TO WHICH I RESPONDED, THEN I NEED A PRIVILEGE LOG.
LIKE, WHAT ARE YOU WITHHOLDING? UM, SO THEY PROVIDED ME WITH A PRIVILEGE LOG.
THIS ISSUE WAS THEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF MS. SCHNABEL WHO SAT DOWN WITH ME.
WE KIND OF WENT THROUGH THE PRIVILEGE LOG.
UM, I'M NOT SURE THAT THE DOCUMENTS REALLY ARE APPROPRIATELY PRIVILEGED.
I BY ORDINANCE, AND THE ORDINANCE IS SUPPORTED BY STATE LAW.
THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL IS ENTITLED TO ALL DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING LEGAL COMMUNICATIONS.
IF IT'S PRIVILEGED, WE MAINTAIN THE PRIVILEGE, IF IT'S PRIVILEGED, PROVIDING IT TO US DOES NOT NEGATE THE PRIVILEGE.
UM, AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT POINT BECAUSE, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IGS FACE EVERYWHERE, PEOPLE WILL TRY TO HIDE INFORMATION UNDER THE AUSPICES OF PRIVILEGE.
SO THE FACT THAT OUR ORDINANCE SPECIFICALLY SAYS WE ARE ENTITLED TO DOCUMENTS NOTWITHSTANDING AN ATTORNEY CLIENT PRIVILEGE, UM, I CAN'T EXPLAIN TO YOU WHY THE PARISH ATTORNEY IS WITHHOLDING THESE DOCUMENTS.
WE HAVE A MEETING WITH THEM TOMORROW TO DISCUSS, BUT UNTIL WE CAN COMPLETELY VET THE IMPACT OF THESE DOCUMENTS ON THE REPORT, THEN WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE WORKING ON THE REPORT AND THEN HAVE TO DO AN ASSESSMENT LIKE CLOSER TO, YOU KNOW, CLOSER TO FINISHING THAN WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF THESE DOCUMENTS IMPACT THE INTEGRITY OF WHAT WE'RE REPORTING.
UM, SO THAT IS, IF I MAY, I WOULD LIKE, IF, IF THIS ISN'T RESOLVED BY THE SEPTEMBER MEETING, I WOULD LIKE THE PARISH ATTORNEY TO COME AND HAVE A CONVERSATION BEFORE THIS COMMISSION ON WHY THEY BELIEVE PRIVILEGE DOCUMENTS, WHATEVER THEY MAY BE, IS NOT SUBJECT TO YOUR EXAMINATION UNDER THE STATUTE.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THIS COMMISSION TO HEAR IT, UH, ESPECIALLY IF THEY DON'T EVEN ATTEMPT TO REDACT BETWEEN NOW AND THEN.
SO I, I WOULD ASK THAT WE GIVE THEM SUFFICIENT NOTICE.
IF TOMORROW DOESN'T WORK, THEN I THINK THAT CONVERSATION NEEDS TO BE HAD TOMORROW THAT WE WOULD LIKE THEM TO COME TO THE NEXT MEETING.
IS THAT FAIR? I'M NOT SPEAKING FOR YOU, BUT I, I THINK THE COMMISSION DESERVES A RESPONSE ON WHY A POTENTIALLY VERY SIGNIFICANT REPORT IS BEING HELD UP WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING WHAT THOSE DOCUMENTS ARE, ARE THAT THEY NEED.
AND I THINK YOU SHOULD NOTE AS WELL, THAT THE CLAIM IS NOT JUST ATTORNEY CLIENT, BUT ALSO WORK PRODUCT.
SO I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY THINK THAT MEANS.
UH, WORK PRODUCT TENDS TO BE IN LEGAL JARGON.
THINGS THAT YOU DID IN PREPARATION FOR THE TRIAL OF YOUR CASE OR IN YOUR OWN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION.
WELL, THAT REALLY IS STUFF THAT, AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, OUGHT TO GO TO THE IG.
SO I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT I WANNA BRING TO THE PARISH ATTORNEY.
IT RAISES MORE QUESTIONS IN MY MIND YEP.
[00:55:01]
THE OFFICE IS TAKING THIS POSITION, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF THE CLEAR DISCUSSION WE RECENTLY HAD, THAT THE PARISH ATTORNEY DOES NOT INVOLVE ITSELF IN, IN RECORD PRODUCTION TO THE INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE.SO I THINK THIS IS A VERY CRITICAL ISSUE THAT IS TIMELY TO DISCUSS.
AND I WILL SAY THAT THE PRIVILEGE LOG DOES SEEM TO IDENTIFY THAT THERE, THAT THE DOCUMENTS THAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT ARE DOCUMENTS WHERE THE PARISH ATTORNEY, A MEMBER OF THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HIMSELF, HERSELF, WAS INVOLVED IN THE DOCUMENT.
BUT, BUT THE RAW DATA, I I AGREE.
THE RAW DATA SHOULDN'T MATTER.
I'M NOT, I'M, BECAUSE AGAIN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SEMANTICS IN PLAYING A GAME.
IF THEY REVIEWED A DOCUMENT, SUDDENLY THAT DOCUMENT BECOMES PRIVILEGED.
I'M, I'M EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.
OR IF THEY ISSUE AN OPINION, IT'S SUDDENLY PRIVILEGED, BUT THEY'RE SENDING IT TO 35 PEOPLE, WHICH IS
BUT, BUT, AND, AND AGAIN, THE OPINION AS IT IMPACTS POLICY, I DON'T BELIEVE IT IS PRIVILEGED.
ESPECIALLY IN, IN TERMS OF AN AUDIT.
SO I, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO REALLY DELVE DEEP, BUT IF, IF IT DOESN'T GET RESOLVED, WE WOULD LIKE, AND WE WILL EXTEND THE INVITATION WITH THE COMMISSION'S APPROVAL THAT THEY, UH, COME AND VISIT WITH US AND, AND PUT IT ON THE RECORD IF THERE'S AN ISSUE.
I THINK THAT IS A GOOD WAY TO HANDLE THAT BECAUSE, UM, BECAUSE SOME OF THE OTHER ALTERNATIVES THAT WE'VE THOUGHT ABOUT IN TERMS OF HANDLING THAT, UM, MIGHT BECOME MUCH MORE CONFRONTATIONAL THAN WE WOULD LIKE IT TO BE AND NOT WE WANNA WORK IT OUT.
HOW LONG HAS THIS BACK? YEAH, THAT WAS THE QUESTION.
YEAH,
SO WE'RE TWO MONTHS INTO THIS.
WE'RE TWO MONTHS INTO IT, BUT, BUT REALLY THE BACK AND FORTH BEGAN IN JUNE.
SO BOND AS THE PARISH ATTORNEY REPRESENT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AGAINST THE OIG
BUT APPARENTLY THERE'S SOME DISCUSSION AND, AND THERE'S SOME HISTORY THAT WE, WE HAVE ALL BEEN INVOLVED IN THAT SOMETIMES WE DO HAVE CONFRONTATIONS, NOT INTENTIONALLY WITH THE PARISH ATTORNEYS OVER, OVER JURISDICTION.
THEY DON'T WANT YOU TALKING TO THIS ONE WITHOUT THEM KNOWING OR, OR LOOKING AT THESE RECORDS WITHOUT THEM KNOWING.
AND OUR ORDINANCE ALLOWS THEM TO RECEIVE A COPY OF EVERY REQUEST THAT IS MADE FROM THE OIGS OFFICE FOR DOCUMENTATION, ALLOWS THEM TO SEE IT.
AND SPECIFICALLY, I WANT TO TELL YOU, BECAUSE I WAS SITTING HERE STANDING AT THAT PODIUM WHEN IT ALL CAME DOWN AT THE LAST, AT A LAST COUNCIL MEETING OR RECENT COUNCIL MEETING, WHERE SOMEONE FROM THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE SPECIFICALLY STATED THAT THEY NEVER INTERFERED WITH PRODUCTION OF RECORDS.
SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT NOT TO SUGGEST THAT ANYTHING IS DISINGENUOUS, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THIS OPEN CONVERSATION BECAUSE WE WANT TO ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF THIS SYSTEM.
THIS ISN'T CALLING ANYBODY OUT.
THIS IS JUST TO ENSURE THAT THE INTEGRITY OF THE PROCESS WORKS SO THAT WHEN A REPORT IS PUBLISHED, IT'S, IT'S TRANSPARENT WITH ALL RECORDS.
IF WE DON'T HAVE ALL RECORDS, HOW CAN THE REPORT BE FAIR AND, AND AND IMPARTIAL? SO IT'S A CRITICAL ISSUE THAT IF IT CAN'T BE RESOLVED, AND, AND CANDIDLY, THE FIRST DISCUSSION SHOULD BE EVEN, EVEN BEYOND PRIVILEGE OR NOT PRIVILEGES.
WHY IS THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TAKING A DIFFERENT POSITION THAN IT TOOK IN A PUBLIC MEETING? AND THEN HAVE THAT DISCUSSION EVEN FURTHER.
AND AGAIN, NOT CASTING DISPERSIONS ON ANYBODY, BECAUSE I KNOW EVERYBODY HAS TERRITORIAL ISSUES AND WE RESPECT THAT.
BUT IT'S AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE VETTED AND RESOLVED BETWEEN NOW SEPTEMBER.
THIS MIGHT, HOWEVER, EXPLAIN THAT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF, UH, THE PARISH ATTORNEY.
I WOULD THINK THAT THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S CLIENT IS THE PARISH.
NOT A PARTICULAR DEPARTMENT OF THE PARISH, NOT THE PARISH PRESIDENT, NOT THE PARISH COUNSEL.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THE IGS OFFICE IS A COMPONENT OF THE PARISH.
SO THE IDEA THAT THERE WOULD, THEY WOULD BE REPRESENTING ANY AGENCY AGAINST THE IG IS JUST ANATHEMA.
AND WE DO ENCOUNTER THE OCCASIONAL, UM, RUFFLED FEATHER, BUT WE'RE HOPING TO GET BEYOND THAT AND, AND BE SURE EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS OUR CLIENT IS THE SAME PERSON OR THE SAME ENTITY.
IT'S THE PEOPLE OF THE PARISH OF JEFFERSON.
ANY MORE QUESTIONS ON THAT CHALLENGE,
UM, WE HAVE 2024 JEFFERSON FACILITIES INC.
UM, THAT IS A NUMBER, IT'S AN EXAMINATION, IT'S REVIEW.
[01:00:01]
WE HAVEN'T TAKEN A WHOLE LOT OF STEPS TOWARD IT.UM, IT INVOLVES THE, UM, FUNDING THAT WAS RECENTLY PROVIDED FOR, UM, THE $8 MILLION BREWERY TO BE BUILT, UM, NEXT TO THE FIFTH CIRCUIT, UM, ON THE WEST BANK.
AND, AND IT'S A VERY COMPLICATED HISTORY OF THE ENTITIES.
WE ARE BASICALLY AUTOPSY THE ENTITIES BEFORE WE DECIDE WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO GOING FORWARD.
UM, WE HAVE ISSUED IN DRAFT, IN EVALUATION, UM, OF THE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES AS WELL AS EAST BANK CONSOLIDATED FIRE COMPANY, UH, DRUG POLICIES AND TESTING.
SO WHAT THE EVALUATION DID WAS TAKE, UM, EAST BANK FIRES, UH, SUBSTANCE AND ABUSE POLICY, AND THEN GO ASK FOR THE INDIVIDUAL SUBSTANCE AND ABUSE POLICIES OF ALL OF THE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES AND EVALUATED THE POLICIES AGAINST STATE LAW, LIKE WHETHER THERE'S A STATE LAW MAND ENDING THAT YOU HAVE SUBSTANCE ABUSE POLICIES.
IF YOU'RE GONNA TERMINATE SOMEBODY, WHAT SHOULD YOU HAVE DONE TO ENSURE THAT THE TERMINATION WILL STAND? AND SO THAT IS AN EVALUATION THAT IS OUT IN DRAFT, UM, TO THE PARISH.
UM, THEY HAVE, I BELIEVE, UNTIL AUGUST 22ND TO ANSWER, UM, AUGUST 20TH, AUGUST 20TH TO ANSWER.
THEN AT OR ABOUT THAT TIME, WE WILL SEND OUT A DRAFT TO ALL OF THE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO DO.
FIRST THE PARISH GETS THE DRAFT, THEN THE NON-PAR DRAFT GOES OUT.
THEY WILL HAVE 20 WORKING DAYS TO UH, RESPOND.
AND THEREAFTER THE REPORT WILL BE FINALIZED AND DELIVERED TO THE ECC VERY LATE IN THE FALL.
UM, PERSONNEL, WE HAVE AN EVALUATION, UM, GOING ON IN THE PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT, UM, IN CONNECTION WITH THAT EVALUATION.
UM, SO THE EVALUATION BREAKS DOWN THE PROCESS FOR HIRING, UM, INCLUDING THE TESTING, ET CETERA.
UM, WE COLLECTED THE INFORMATION, DISTILLED THE INFORMATION, HOW TO SCOPE, PERIOD, HAD EVERY EMPLOYEE THAT WAS, UH, RETAINED DURING OUR SCOPE PERIOD, BROKE IT DOWN, DEVELOPED THE SAMPLE.
UM, AND OUR AUDITOR PARKED HIMSELF, UM, ON THE WEST BANK, UH, GOING THROUGH 75 PERSONNEL FILES.
UM, WE RECEIVED, UM, INFORMATION THAT SOMEBODY OBSERVING THAT INFORMATION WAS BEING REMOVED FROM THE FILES BEFORE THEY WERE PROVIDED TO US.
WE DID NOT GET THIS INFORMATION UNTIL THE DAY WE WERE LOOKING AT FILE 75.
SO, UM, DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL ERICA SMITH WENT OVER TO THE WEST BANK, HAD POLITE CONVERSATION WITH PERSONNEL.
HAVE YOU BEEN REMOVING FILES, INFORMATION FROM THE PERSONNEL FILES? THEY READILY ADMITTED THAT THEY WERE IN FACT REMOVING TESTING INFORMATION.
SO ONE OF THE CRITICAL ASPECTS OF THE EVALUATION WOULD'VE INVOLVED THE TESTING.
AND NOW WE FIND OUT AFTER REVIEWING 75 FILES THAT THEY HAVE REMOVED THE TESTING INFORMATION.
SO I CONTACTED THE DIRECTOR, JOHN DUMAS, WHO INFORMED ME THAT, WELL, WE DON'T HAVE TO PRODUCE THAT, THAT'S EXEMPT.
THE EXEMPTION HE'S REFERRING TO IS UNDER THE PUBLIC RECORDS ACT.
THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST.
WE ARE THE INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE, AGAIN, INSIDE GOVERNMENT TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THIS.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I LET MR. DUMAS KNOW, LIKE IF YOU WERE MOVING STUFF FROM THE FILES, YOU COULD HAVE LET ME KNOW.
INSTEAD OF ME THINKING THAT WE HAVE THE WHOLE RECORD, HE HAS ASSURED ME THAT HE WILL SEEK PERMISSION FROM THE PERSONNEL BOARD TO RELEASE THESE RECORDS TO US.
THAT PERSONNEL BOARD IS NEXT MEETING.
WE FINISH REVIEWING THE FILES IN EARLY JUNE.
WE HAVE LOST LIKE 30 DAYS ON THIS EVALUATION BECAUSE THEY WERE BASICALLY SECRETING DOCUMENTS AND NOT TELLING US SO BAD NEWS, THEY TOOK THE DOCUMENTS OUT.
GOOD NEWS, I THINK I CAN RESOLVE THAT SOMETIME NEXT WEEK.
UM, IF I CAN'T RESOLVE IT, WELL THEN THAT ISSUE WILL COME UP.
SO WE HAVE PROBLEMS WITH RECORDS COMING OUTTA THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, AND WE HAVE PROBLEMS WITH RECORDS WITH THE PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT THAT IS IMPACTING TWO SEPARATE REPORTS.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? AND THE TIMING ON THE REPORTS IS OF INTEREST TO THIS COUNCIL, OF COURSE, BECAUSE YOU WANNA BE SURE THAT, UH, THE I'S OFFICE IS PRODUCTIVE AND IS WORKING ON THINGS THAT WILL ULTIMATELY HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE PARISH.
[01:05:01]
AND WHAT WE'RE FINDING, AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS OVER THE LAST, UH, FEW MEETINGS, IS WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS THAT THE, UH, THE GOVERNING OR ORDINANCE HERE, UH, HAS THIS VERY LONG LEAD TIME WHERE OTHER ENTITIES LOOK AT, UH, THE DRAFT REPORT, UH, WHICH ALSO MAKES IT DELAYED IN GETTING THE REPORTS OUT.SO WE, WE FOCUS ON TIME, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR OWN EFFICIENCY, BUT ALSO BECAUSE WE WANNA BE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING AS RESPONSIVE AND, UM, AND CLEAR WITH TO THE, TO THE PEOPLE OF JEFFERSON PARISH AND TO THE ECC.
SO, POINT OF CLARIFICATION, WHEN AN EVALUATION STARTS OR AN INSPECTION STARTS AND SOMEONE FROM THE OFFICE GOES INTO ANOTHER OFFICE TO BEGIN REVIEWING FILES, MM-HMM.
THEN AFTER THAT, YOU MAKE YOUR INITIAL DOCUMENT REQUEST, YOU HAVE OTHER CONVERSATIONS, AND THEN ULTIMATELY WHEN YOU GET TO THE POINT OF SAY, OF SAMPLING, YOU ISSUE YOUR REQUEST FOR SPECIFIC THINGS, YOU HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS.
SO IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, WHEN WE ANNOUNCED THAT WE WOULD BE TAKING THIS ON, UM, THE DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL ACTUALLY SAID THAT THE PERSONNEL BOARD WANTED TO MEET AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO HEAR ABOUT WHAT WE WERE GOING TO BE DOING.
SO WE DID HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE PERSONNEL BOARD IN EXECUTIVE SESSION ABOUT WHAT WE WERE UNDERTAKING.
UM, THE DIRECTOR WAS IN THERE, LIKE, AGAIN, IF SOMEBODY WOULD'VE SAID, OH, AND BY THE WAY WE DON'T PLAN ON RELEASING RECORDS TO YOU, THEN I WOULD'VE SAID, WELL, WE NEED TO WORK THAT OUT NOW.
DID YOU SPECIFICALLY GO INTO THE SCOPE OF THE WORK WOULD INCLUDE THESE TEST? WE DID NOT SPECIFICALLY COULD NOT HAVE AT THAT ORIGINAL ENTRANCE.
THEN WE SUBSEQUENTLY ASKED FOR SPECIFIC RECORDS, THEN WE SUBSEQUENTLY ASKED FOR SPECIFIC FILES.
SO AT THE TIME THAT WE ASKED FOR THE SPECIFIC FILES FOR CERTAIN, THEY SHOULD HAVE SAID, WE'RE GIVING YOU ACCESS TO THE FILES, BUT WE'RE TAKING OUT TESTING DOCUMENTS.
NOW, LET, LET ME SAY, AND KIM, PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, PERSONNEL BOARD IS NOT UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE PRE PARISH PRESIDENT OR THE PARISH COUNCIL.
THEY'RE KIND OF AN INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATION WITHIN THE PARISH THAT HAS THEIR OWN OPERATING BOARD.
IS THAT FAIR TO SAY? IT, IT, THEY ARE AN INDEPENDENT, UM, BOARD WITHIN THE PARISH.
THEY APPOINT, UH, THE DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL, MUCH LIKE YOU APPOINT ME.
UM, HOWEVER MUCH LIKE US, THE PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT IS THE CUSTODIAN OF THEIR RECORDS.
AND THE PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT, UM, IS THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TESTING RECORDS.
SO THEY HAVE GOTTEN INTO THIS RATIONALIZATION THAT THE PERSONNEL BOARD'S PERMISSION IS NEEDED TO TURN OVER THESE DOCUMENTS.
IT'S NOT EVEN, IT'S NOT EVEN THE DOCUMENTS OF THE PERSONNEL BOARD.
UM, AND I PLAN ON ADDRESSING THIS NEXT WEEK WITH THE PERSONNEL BOARD.
UM, WHAT IS MOST DISTURBING TO ME, AND I WILL LET THE PERSONNEL BOARD KNOW THIS, WHAT IS MOST DISTURBING TO ME IS THAT AT NO LEVEL IN GOVERNMENT OF A PROFESSIONAL OF THE CALIBER AND QUALITY OF THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND DIRECTOR, SHOULD YOU BE GIVING SOMEBODY A FILE AND NOT DISCLOSING TO THEM, THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE FILE.
YOU KNOW, LIKE LAWYERS DON'T HAVE THE BEST REPUTATION.
I CAN TELL YOU, I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED A LAWYER WHO HAS SECRET AWAY DOCUMENTS AND SAID, HERE'S EVERYTHING I GOT.
AND IF ANYBODY FINDS OUT ABOUT IT, WE ALL GET IN TROUBLE.
BUT IT, IT'S, IT'S THE CONCEPT I WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN TO ASK OR SAY, DID YOU INCLUDE THE TESTING RECORDS? I WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN.
AND AS IT TURNS OUT OF THE 75 INDIVIDUALS, WE SAMPLED MAYBE LIKE ONLY 45 OF THEM ACTUALLY HAVE TESTING RECORDS.
SO IT'S NOT EVEN LIKE YOU WOULD'VE KNOWN THEY WERE THERE OR NOT THERE BECAUSE IN OUR RANDOM SAMPLE, NOT ALL OF THEM HAD IT.
SO IT'S, IT WAS JUST, IT WAS NOT A FORTHRIGHT MOVE, BUT WE ARE ADDRESSING IT.
AND I BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION BECAUSE IT ABSOLUTELY IMPACTS THE TIMELINESS OF OUR REPORT.
UM, WE ARE MOVING FORWARD, UM, WITH AN EVALUATION OF WEST JEFFERSON.
UM, AS WE KNOW, UM, THE PARISH UNDERTOOK THE PRIVATIZATION OF BOTH WEST JEFF AND EAST.
JEFF, UM, AS EAST JEFF WAS A SALE.
UM, AS A TERM OF THE LEASE WEST, JEFF NOW OPERATED BY LCMC, AGREED TO MAKE CAPITAL, UM, IMPROVEMENTS TO THE HOSPITAL.
UM, THERE'S BEEN NO TRUE IN-DEPTH VAL VOUCHING AND VALIDATION OF THOSE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.
SO WE ARE NOW IN WEST JEFF LOOKING AT
[01:10:01]
HOW THEY HAVE SPENT MONEY ON THE HOSPITAL, UM, THAT IS SUBJECT TO OUR LEASE TO VALIDATE THEIR COMPLIANCE WITH THE LEASE CONTRACT.UM, AND WE ARE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS ON THAT.
WE FULLY EXPECT FOR THAT TO BE PUBLISHED, UM, BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR.
[VII. Review and approval of 2025 ECC / JPOIG Budget, Resolution related thereto]
UM, THAT IS AN ITEM THAT WE CAN TAKE UP NEXT.UM, SO YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU, UM, THE BUDGET PACKAGE, AND I'M GUESSING I HAVE IT IN FRONT OF ME.
YOU DO, IT'S IN THE BACK BEHIND YOUR REPORT.
IT'S THE REPORT, THE LAST PAGE.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE LAST PAGE, OH, YES.
COLOR CODED FOR SECOND QUARTER.
NO, THIS ISN'T THE REPORT THAT YOU SENT ME, BUT THE ONE, NO, THIS IS NOT THE REPORT THAT I SENT IN THE EMAIL.
I GOT THE ONE YOU SENT IN THE EMAIL, BUT THAT I PRINTED IT OUT.
I DON'T HAVE, I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE COPIES OF IT.
I DON'T THINK Y'ALL HAVE COPIES, RIGHT? NOPE.
NO, I, I READ IT ON THE EMAIL.
WAS THAT WHERE EVERYTHING WAS AT ABOUT 46% OR SO OF THE ANNUAL BUDGET? PRETTY CLOSE.
42 ON ONE, SEVEN ON ANOTHER, AND 4 36 TOTAL.
DO YOU WANNA SHARE WITH THEM YOUR COPY? UM, I CAN GIVE Y'ALL MY COPY IF YOU WANT IT.
UM, THIS IS THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
IF IT'S FINE BY THEM, IT'S OKAY.
WELL, DIDN'T WE REVIEW THIS BUDGET LAST TIME? AND, AND I WANNA SAY WE APPROVED IT.
THE NUMBERS WERE JUST PROVIDED BY JEFFERSON PARISH.
THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR IN WHICH IT, IT COMES.
WE HAVE THIS, UM, WHAT I CAN TELL YOU LOOKING ACROSS, UM, THE BUDGET IS, AND I'M GONNA JUST HOLD THIS UP TO YOU, IT BECAUSE THE BLACK AND WHITE COPY, UM, THERE IS GRAY AND THERE IS GREEN.
WHEN WE RECEIVE OUR BUDGET FROM THE, UH, BUDGET DEPARTMENT NUMBERS ARE PRE-POPULATED.
UM, PAYROLL IS POPULATED BASED UPON THE POSITIONS THAT WE HAVE FILLED.
BENEFITS IS ALREADY CALCULATED BASED UPON THOSE POSITIONS.
AND THEN THERE ARE CERTAIN SHARED COSTS THAT OUR DEPARTMENT GETS HIT WITH.
UH, THE, IT'S EVERY MILLAGE DEPARTMENT GETS HIT WITH SHARED COSTS.
WE GET HIT WITH SHARED COSTS BUDGET.
SO THE ONLY NUMBERS THAT WE FILL IN IS FOR YOUR BENEFIT.
WE COMPLETE YOUR BUDGET, WHICH WE BASICALLY, THE BUDGET IS AS IT WAS LAST YEAR, UM, TO COVER MR. SULLIVAN'S, UM, CONTRACT COSTS AS WELL AS TO ALLOW SOME ADDITIONAL EXPENDITURES.
THE OTHER EXPENDITURES WE HAVE IS, UM, WE PLUG IN THE NUMBER FOR OUR OWN PERSONAL SERVICES PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.
THAT INCLUDES, UM, MS. SCHNABEL AS WELL AS OTHER ITEMS WITHIN OUR OFFICE THAT JUST THE BUDGET SAYS THEY'RE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.
I MIGHT CALL IT SOFTWARE, THEY CALL IT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.
UM, AND SO THOSE NUMBERS OF, OF, OF OUR RECURRING, BUT RANDOM EXPENSES THAT ARE UNIQUE TO THE OFFICE WE PLUG IN.
OTHER THAN THAT, UM, THE NUMBERS ARE PLUGGED IN BY THE PARISH.
UM, THERE WAS ONLY ONE LINE ITEM AND GINA PREPARES THIS BUDGET.
THERE'S ONLY ONE LINE ITEM THAT I THINK, UM, SHE CHANGED.
UM, AND HONESTLY, I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT IT IS.
UM, SHE EITHER RAISED AT 5,000 OR LOWERED AT 5,000.
OTHER THAN THAT, THE BUDGET THAT WE'RE HAVE BEFORE YOU THIS YEAR IS THE SAME BUDGET YOU HAD LAST YEAR.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? AND, AND, AND KIM, AM I NOT CORRECT THAT THERE WAS A SURPLUS LAST YEAR? YES, THERE WAS, UM, A SURPLUS LAST YEAR.
AND YOU WILL SEE, UM, ON THE BUDGET, AND JERRY CAN CALL OUT THE NUMBER.
WE ARE RUNNING A FUN BALANCE OF WHAT, 1.5, 1.6, 1.6.
BUT THE POTENTIAL AFTER RESERVES AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS, IS EVEN LARGER THAN THAT.
UM, KEEP, LET, LET ME REMIND THOSE, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE, ARE NEW.
UH, IT'S ONE OF THE UNIQUE PARISH DEPARTMENTS THAT WE CANNOT RETAIN MORE THAN ONE YEAR'S BUDGET, AND ALL OTHER ADDITIONAL FUNDS GO BACK TO THE GENERAL FUND.
SO WE'RE HEALTHY, BUT WE CAN'T BE TOO HEALTHY BECAUSE THEY TAKE IT BACK.
BUT, UH, AGAIN, OUR BUDGET, ECC BUDGET IS,
[01:15:01]
IS MINUSCULE.SO WE TRY TO BE AWARE OF THAT BECAUSE WE, AND THE BIG PICTURE, IT'S A SMALL BUDGET.
UH, MOST OF IT IS, IS SPENT IN OFFICE RENT AND SALARIES.
WE KEEP, WE'RE VERY MINDFUL OF THAT.
UH, AND WE WANT THE OFFICE TO RUN AS ROBUSTLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO THAT'S WHERE MOST OF THE BUDGET GOES IS TO KIM'S OFFICE STAFF.
UH, AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE PRIMARY BUDGET THAT YOU SEE.
AND I WILL NOTE FOR THE RECORD THAT KIM, WHEN SHE TOOK THE POSITION IN 2022, HAS RECEIVED NO RAISE AND WILL NOT RECEIVE A RAISE DURING THIS TIME PERIOD.
WE TALKED ABOUT THAT AT THAT TIME.
SO WHEN YOU SEE REFLECTED IN CHANGES FOR PAYROLL, SHE'S NOT INCLUDED IN THAT.
KIM, HE'S GONNA TRY GET NO, IT'S FINE.
CAN I HAVE A MOTION, UM, TO APPROVE THE BUDGET FOR 2025? SO MOVED.
WAIT, WE HAVE TO, WE NEED TO DO ALL IN FAVOR.
ROLL CALL OR IS? YEAH, WE NEED ALL IN FAVOR.
UH, JUST FOR, FOR TYPICAL INSTANCES ON ROLL CALL, WE AMEND THE, ANYTIME WE AMEND THE, THE, UM, THE AGENDA, WE HAVE TO DO A ROLL CALL, VOTE ANYTIME THAT WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE DO ROLL CALL, VOTES COMING, GOING IN AND COMING OUT.
OTHER THAN THAT, IT'S JUST, UH, ALL IN FAVOR.
[VIII. Status Update: Discussion of Advisory Opinion regarding voice voting at all parish open meetings]
DISCUSSION OF ADVISORY OPINION REGARDING VO, THOSE VOICE VOTING AT ALL PARISH OPEN.AND ISN'T IT INTERESTING THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT VOTING AND WE TALK ABOUT IT AGAIN, WHY ARE WE BRINGING THIS UP? YOU HAVE THE ADVISORY OPINION THAT WAS ISSUED JANUARY 17TH IN YOUR PACKAGE.
WHY ARE WE BRINGING IT UP AGAIN? THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN ON THE COMMISSION MORE THAN A A, A MONTH OR SO WILL BE AWARE OF BEING INUNDATED.
AND I MEAN, INUNDATED WITH ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS, UH, TO BOTH THE INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE AND TO THE ECC.
NORMALLY, WE DO NOT TALK ABOUT COMPLAINTS IN OPEN MEETINGS.
BUT WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT COMPLAINTS IN OPEN MEETING? BECAUSE MANY OF THE COMPLAINTS STEM FROM HOW THE PARISH COUNCIL VOTES.
WE RECEIVE A COMPLAINT AS TO EX COUNCIL MEMBER VOTING.
THEY VOTED FOR THIS AND THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE.
I WOULD LOVE FOR THOSE, UH, WHO HAVE NOT BEEN ON THE COMMISSION LONG TO WATCH A PARISH COUNCIL MEETING.
IT WILL SURPRISE YOU THE WAY VOTING TAKES PLACE.
VOTING TAKES PLACE WHEN THE CHAIR SAYS, THIS MATTER'S BEEN MOVED BY COUNCILMAN FOR DISTRICT FOUR, UM, SECONDED BY THE CHAIR, HEARING NO OPPOSITION.
SO THE ONLY TIME THAT THERE IS ACTUALLY A VOTE IS WHEN THEY WANT TO ARGUE ABOUT SOMETHING.
AND I, I DON'T MEAN THAT DISRESPECTFULLY BECAUSE DISSENTS A GOOD THING OR WHEN THEY JUST WANT TO, SOMEBODY IS NOT IN AGREEMENT AND THEY THINK THEY NEED TO BRING IT OUT.
BUT HEARING NO OPPOSITION IS NOT THE SAME THING AS VOTING.
YOU WILL NOTICE IF YOU WATCH COUNCIL MEETINGS, THAT SOMETIMES THEY'RE ON THEIR PHONE, SOMETIMES THEY'RE TALKING TO THEIR AGE WHEN THE VOTE COMES.
SO IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND OUT WHO REALLY VOTES FOR WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.
AND WE'VE MET WITH, WITH MR. ADOL BECAUSE IT WAS AN ISSUE.
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHO VOTES FOR WHAT IN MOST INSTANCES.
WHY DOES THAT MATTER? BECAUSE WE ARE ACCUSED OF NOT DOING OUR JOB.
THE OIGS OFFICE IS ACCUSED OF NOT DOING THEIR JOB WHEN THE JOB BECOMES IMPOSSIBLE, BECAUSE THE MANNER IN WHICH THE VOTE IS TAKEN.
AND I'M GONNA ASK HIM TO OPIN IN A MINUTE, BUT KEEP IN MIND THE STATUTE IS CLEAR.
THE STATUTE, WE HAVE AN OPEN MEETINGS LAW IN LOUISIANA.
I KNOW THEY TRIED TO WATER THAT DOWN RECENTLY.
SO WE STILL HAVE THE SAME OPEN MEETINGS LAWS WE'VE ALWAYS HAD.
AND IT REQUIRES A VOTE BY VOICE.
THAT'S, IT'S A LATIN TERM, VIVA VCE.
WE DON'T HAVE A VOTE BY VOICE.
AND AS I WAS, UH, SHOWING MS. PIERRE THE BUTTON TO MUTE, SHE, SHE OBSERVED THE, THE YAY AND NAY VOTE, THE BUTTONS AS WELL, WHICH ARE NOT USED EITHER.
SO NOT ONLY DO WE NOT HAVE A VOICE VOTE, THEY COULD PRESS A BUTTON AND HAVE A VOTE.
SO I WILL, I WILL TELL YOU, WE WILL PROBABLY HEAR AGAIN ON HOW COUNCIL MEMBERS VOTE WHEN SOMEBODY'S MAD ABOUT SOMETHING.
WE CANNOT TAKE ACTION UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE INTEGRITY OF THE VOTING PROCESS COMES OUT.
WE CAN'T FORCE THE PARISH TO CHANGE 'EM.
WE WROTE THE OPINION LETTER IN JANUARY WHEN KIM MARTIN AND I MET WITH ALL OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS.
WE BROUGHT IT UP TO EACH COUNCIL MEMBER.
A COUPLE OF THEM WAS INTRIGUED, WERE INTRIGUED,
[01:20:01]
BUT THAT ENDED IT.BUT IT'S NEVER GONE BEYOND THAT.
UH, THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE DOESN'T AGREE WITH US, US YET.
THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE DOES NOT GET THE COMPLAINTS THAT WE GET.
SO AGAIN, WE BRING IT UP TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT ALL OF THE ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS WE'VE GOTTEN RECENTLY INVOLVING VOTES, WE CANNOT TAKE ACTION BECAUSE THE VOTES AREN'T CLEAR.
UH, TO, TO PURSUE AN ACTION, AN ETHICAL COMPLAINT AGAINST SOMEBODY REQUIRES INTEGRITY ON OUR PART.
INTEGRITY ON OUR PART TELLS US WE HAVE TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE COMFORTABLE THAT THAT PERSON VOTED ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
IF THE PROCESS DOESN'T ALLOW US TO KNOW THAT, THEN WE ARE BREACHING OUR INTEGRITY BY TAKING ACTION PUBLICLY.
SO IT, IT, IT IS A PROBLEM AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE A PROBLEM AS LONG AS THE PARISH CHOOSES TO VOTE IN THIS METHOD.
WE CAN'T TELL THEM THEY CAN'T, BUT WE CAN TELL THEM EACH TIME THAT A COMPLAINT COMES UP REGARDING A VOTE.
IF IT'S NOT AN ACTUAL VOTE WITH YAYS OR NAYS OR NOT AN ACTUAL ROLL CALL VOTE.
EVEN WHEN THEY GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, WHICH I'M DEEPLY TROUBLED BY, THEY NEVER DO A ROLL CALL VOTE GOING INTO OR OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UH, THIS IS THE ONLY INSTITUTION I AM AWARE OF IN ANY PUBLIC SETTING THAT VOTES IN THE MANNER IT VOTES.
AND I, I, I WOULD LIKE KIM TO OPINE 'CAUSE I ASKED HER ABOUT IT, BUT IT, I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THERE IS AN ISSUE.
WE KNOW THERE'S AN ISSUE PERHAPS ON PEOPLE'S VOTES.
IT'S MULTIPLE COUNCILMEN OVER MULTIPLE YEARS.
AND, AND WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT AS LONG AS THE VOTES ARE WHERE THEY ARE.
AND I WOULD ASK YOU TO OPINE AS WELL.
UM, SO AS WELL, BEFORE I CAME TO THE PARISH, UM, I WAS THE ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL TO THE RACING COMMISSION.
UM, I THINK WHEN I, WHEN I CAME TO THE BOARD, IT WAS NON-MEMBERS.
WHEN I LEFT THE BOARD, IT WAS 14 MEMBERS.
THERE WAS ONE PERSON WHO MADE THE MOTION, KIND OF LIKE YOU DO, AND THEY SPOKEN TO THE MICROPHONE AND THEN ANOTHER PERSON SECONDED INTO THE MICROPHONE.
AND THEN THE CHAIRMAN WOULD SAY, ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ALL IN FAVOR SAY, I MEAN, ALL OPPOSED SAY NAY.
YOU WOULD HEAR A NAY OR YOU HEAR NO NAY.
IF YOU HEARD NAYS, YOU MIGHT GO BACK AND COUNT THE YAYS AND THE NAYS, AND THEN YOU WOULD KNOW EXACTLY WHO VOTED FOR WHAT.
KEEP IN MIND, UM, THE AGENDA MIGHT BE 60, MIGHT BE A HUNDRED ITEMS. ITEMS ARE TAKEN IN GLOBO.
SOME ITEMS ARE TAKEN INDIVIDUALLY.
UM, AND WHEN YOU HAVE A MOTION, IT IS NOT AN INDIVIDUAL COUNCIL PERSON MOTIONING.
IT IS USUALLY THE CHAIRMAN ANNOUNCING WHO'S MAKING THE MOTION.
THE CHAIRMAN ANNOUNCING THAT HE'S MAKING THE SECOND.
AND THEY DO NOT SAY, ALL IN FAVOR, SAY, AYE.
IF THEY SAID, ALL IN FAVOR SAY, AYE.
ARGUABLY, IF YOU WERE IN THE AUDIENCE, YOU COULD SEE A COUNCIL MEMBER LEAN TOWARDS THE MICROPHONE AND SAY, AYE, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT.
WE JUST HAVE HEARING NO OPPOSITION.
WHEN YOU WATCH THE VIDEO OF COUNCIL MEETINGS, SOMETIMES THE VIEW ONLY GIVES YOU PART OF THE COUNCIL.
SO YOU CAN SEE LIKE THE SEVEN ARE SPREAD OUT.
THE CAMERA VIEW MIGHT ONLY GIVE YOU THREE.
SO NOW WE DON'T, WE DON'T, WE CAN'T HEAR IT.
AND YOU CAN'T SEE IT IF YOU'RE WATCHING IT ON TELEVISION.
AND SO THEN WE GET COMPLAINTS.
WE GET COMPLAINTS BECAUSE A COUNCIL PERSON VOTED FOR SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL PERSON HAD AN INTEREST IN.
WE WOULD HAVE TO SAY THE COUNCIL MEMBER VOTED FOR IT IF IT'S, IF IT'S AN ETHICS VIOLATION, THEY HAD TO HAVE VOTED FOR IT.
AND YOU CAN'T SAY THEY VOTED FOR IT BECAUSE THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT THEY LEAN FORWARD AND SAID, YAY.
SO BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS LAW AND THE WAY THEY CONDUCT THEIR VOTES, THERE'S BASICALLY AN OBFUSCATION OF ETHICS BECAUSE YOU CAN'T HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE IN WAYS THAT YOU COULD HOLD OTHER MEMBERS OF OTHER BOARDS IN THE STATE.
AND OTHER PARISHES AND OTHER COUNCILS WHO VOTE APPROPRIATELY.
YOU CAN, YOU CAN HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.
YOU CANNOT BASE A COMPLAINT ON SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T VERBALLY HAPPEN.
THE, UM, THE, THE RESOLUTIONS AND THE ORDERS COME OUT FROM THE COUNCIL.
AND AT THE END OF IT, THE COUNCIL CLERK WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, SEVEN YAYS, ZERO NAYS.
[01:25:01]
LOOK LIKE IT HAPPENED.BUT IN TERMS OF HOLDING SOMEBODY INDIVIDUALLY ACCOUNTABLE, YOU CAN'T SEEK CRITIQUE INTO IT JUST BECAUSE THE CLERK PUTS SOMETHING DOWN ON PAPER AND IT NEVER HAPPENS.
SO WE ARE IN THIS QUANDARY WHERE WE GET COMPLAINTS AND WE CAN DO NOTHING ABOUT IT.
UM, AND THEN WE GET CAST, I THINK UNFAVORABLY IN A POSITION OF WELL, FAVORITISM OR NOT BEING TRANSPARENT, IT'S NOT OUR FAULT.
IT STARTS WITH YOUR LACK, NOT YOU.
THE COUNCIL'S LACK OF TRANSPARENCY THAT WE CAN'T DO OUR JOB AND THAT'S GONNA BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM BECAUSE I DON'T SEE THEM NECESSARILY CHANGING THE WAY THEY VOTE.
I I DON'T EITHER, BECAUSE IT'S A WAY TO AVOID, UM, ACCOUNTABILITY AND AVOIDANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY IS A TROUBLING THING FOR THE PARISH.
BUT, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE SEE CURRENTLY.
I, I INVITE YOU TO WATCH ONLINE BECAUSE THERE ARE, THE MEETINGS ARE ONLINE.
UH, IT'S, IT'S QUITE AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE TO WATCH IT.
BUT I PURPOSELY HAVE GONE BACK AND LOOKED WHEN WE GET COMPLAINTS TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT IF THAT PERSON WAS EVEN PAYING ATTENTION WHEN THE MATTER CAME UP.
BECAUSE HALF THE TIME THEY'RE ON THEIR PHONE.
I RESPECT THAT THEY'RE ON THEIR PHONE.
THEIR AID HAS COME TO SPEAK TO THEM.
THEY'VE STEPPED AWAY FROM, FROM THEIR CHAIR.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE ANY WAY OF KNOWING IF THEY EVEN PAID ATTENTION OR IF THEY WERE EVEN AWARE OF WHAT WAS BEING VOTED ON.
UH, IT, I THINK WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO IT.
OUR OPINION IS PUBLISHED AND IT'S PUBLISHED FOR A REASON.
SO WHEN SOMEBODY BRINGS IT UP, I WILL SAY, PLEASE REVIEW OUR ADVISORY OPINION.
WE DON'T ISSUE THEM FREQUENTLY.
WE'VE ONLY DONE IT ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT.
UH, THEY DON'T HAVE TO TAKE OUR ADVICE.
OUR JOB IS TO GIVE IT, AND OUR JOB IS TO PUT IT OUT THERE AND BE TRANSPARENT AND WHAT HAPPENS HAPPENS.
BUT I JUST WANTED TO SAY AGAIN, THAT'S WHY WE'VE GOTTEN ALL THESE COMPLAINTS THAT PEOPLE THINK WE HAVEN'T ACTED ON.
WE'RE TECHNICALLY BEING VIDEO RECORDED NOW.
THEY DON'T GET ACTED ON BECAUSE WE CAN'T BECAUSE THERE'S NOT TRANSPARENCY IN THE SYSTEM.
AND THAT'S, AND AND IN THE OVERVIEW OF GOOD GOVERNANCE, ONE WONDERS THAT IF THERE IS NOT A DEMONSTRABLE VOTE TAKEN, WHETHER LAW ORDINANCES, LAWS DECISION THAT ARE PASSED AND DECISIONS MADE CAN'T BE CHALLENGED.
WELL, I THINK VERY MUCH SO, RIGHT? THEY GO INTO, I UNDERSTAND, INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
I THINK WHEN THERE'S NOT A ROLL CALL VOTE GOING INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, IT CALLS INTO QUESTION.
IF I WERE SOMEBODY WHO WAS UPSET ABOUT SOMETHING THAT OCCURRED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, I CERTAINLY WOULD START THAT FIGHT IF I WERE AN ATTORNEY SO INCLINED TO DO SO.
SO I DO THINK IT RAISES SERIOUS ISSUES, BUT I DON'T HAVE A DOG IN THE HUNT.
IT'S NOT FROM, THAT'S NOT OUR ISSUE.
BUT OUR ISSUE IS IN FACT THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THERE'S A CON OFTEN WHETHER THERE'S A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
ALRIGHT, WELL, JERRY, LET ME TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH.
UM, THIS IS THE ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE COMMISSION AND, UH, WE, WE SAT THROUGH A, UH, PARIS COUNCIL MEETING.
IF, IF THE COUNCIL KNOWS THAT I'M GONNA STAND UP AND OR SHERRY'S GONNA STAND UP AND SAY, Y'ALL ARE NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH OUR COMMISSION AND WE NEED TO FIX THIS.
AND, AND, AND IF YOU DON'T FIX IT, WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE PRESS AND COMPLAIN THAT YOU'RE NOT IN COMPLIANCE.
DO YOU THINK THAT MIGHT GET SOME OF THESE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO MOVE? VERY CANDIDLY.
AND I, I'M GONNA BE VERY CANDID.
UH, THEY'RE NOT INTIMIDATED BY THAT.
UH, AND, AND I RESPECT THAT, THAT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE DOING WHAT THEY WANNA DO.
UH, AND DO I THINK IT WOULD BE A, A HOT TOPIC FOR, UH, BLAKE PATTERSON TO WRITE ABOUT? PROBABLY NOT.
IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT SOMETHING JUICY.
IF THERE WERE A BIG ETHICAL CONFLICT ON A PARTICULAR COUNCIL MEMBER AND HE CALLS US TO SAY, DEAR, WHY, WHY IS THAT? WHY IS THAT COUNCILMAN GETTING AWAY WITH THAT CONFLICT OF INTEREST? THEN IT BECOMES A HOT TICKET TICKET ITEM.
AND I THINK ONE DAY IT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
UH, I THINK WE SIT AND, AND WATCH AS, AS THINGS PROGRESS.
THERE IS A NEW PARISH CHAIR, UH, COUNCIL CHAIR BEGINNING JANUARY.
I HOPE THAT THINGS MAY CHANGE.
WE'LL BRING IT UP AGAIN BECAUSE THE CHAIR ROTATES EVERY YEAR, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, BETWEEN THE TWO AT LARGE MEMBERS.
UH, SO HOPEFULLY, AND I, AND QUITE CANDIDLY, UH, CHAIRMAN WALKER SAID, JERRY, DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER THE MEETINGS WOULD BE IF WE DID THAT? RESPECTED THAT ANSWER.
UH, WE DON'T LIKE LONG MEETINGS IN OUR, IN THIS MEETING AND AS MUCH AS ANY OTHER MEETING, BUT SOMETIMES LONGER MEETINGS ARE A REQUIREMENT.
[01:30:01]
SO, UH, LET'S JUST HOPE THINGS CHANGE.BUT AT A CERTAIN POINT IN TIME, IT'S GOING TO COME TO A BOILING POINT AND I THINK IT'LL COME OUT.
UM, I MEAN, WE GOT OUR LICK RECENTLY AND, UM, EVERYBODY HAS THAT, THAT OPPORTUNITY WHEN SOMETHING COMES UP.
[IX. Determination of new September 2024 ECC meeting date]
SEPTEMBER, 2024 MEETING DATE.WE HAD ORIGINALLY SELECTED, UH, THE 18TH, UH, OF SEPTEMBER, WHICH IS THE THIRD WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH.
BUT SINCE EVERYBODY'S, WE HAVE TWO NEW MEMBERS.
UH, NO, IT'S BECAUSE OF P IT'S, IT'S THE COUNCIL MEETING.
IT'S THE 16TH, 17TH, AND THE 18TH.
SO, SO SHOULD WE DO THE 25TH? THAT WOULD BE MY PROPOSAL.
WOULD, WOULD Y'ALL BE COMFORTABLE WITH THE 25TH? IT PROBABLY WILL NOT BE AS LONG NEXT TIME SINCE WE'RE NOT DOING THE ORIENTATION.
'CAUSE THE COUNCIL IS MEETING ON THE WEST BANK, SO THIS ROOM WILL NOT BE OCCUPIED.
DO WE NEED TO VOTE ON THAT? YES, PLEASE.
CAN WE HAVE A MOTION FOR THE NEW SEPTEMBER, 2024 MEETING DATE? SO MOVED.
ANY NEW BUSINESS? THAT'S ENOUGH.
UM, ALREADY DISCUSSED NEXT MEETING DATE.
AND SO NOW I'D TAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN.