Statement in Response to Auditor’s Follow-Up Report on City Council Operations
This morning, Denver City Council President Amanda P. Sandoval and Executive Director Bonita Roznos met with the Independent Audit Committee to address the findings in the auditor’s follow-up report of a City Council operations audit. While the auditor acknowledged the council’s significant progress in today’s meeting, the follow-up press release issued by his office made several mischaracterizations that must be addressed.
Today’s press release continued to assert that the council failed to obtain legal definitions for “donations” and “sponsorships” as well as a legal opinion on the “appropriateness” of providing funds to local organizations. To be clear, the Council did seek and receive legal counsel from attorneys assigned to it by the City Attorney’s Office. The Council was advised that no definitions for these terms exist in the city charter or ordinance. Furthermore, the attorneys cautioned that a determination of definitions would have unintended consequences for other city agencies, including the mayor’s office and departments that also provide funds to local organizations.
While the auditor’s office may disagree with that legal interpretation, it does not invalidate the guidance provided to the council or the actions taken to strengthen internal processes following that counsel. There are limitations in place around these activities, and today’s statement from the auditor’s office overlooks that fact, as discussed in today’s meeting.
Additionally, the Council president reiterated several times during the Independent Audit Committee meeting that each City Council member is an independently elected official. The city charter assigns each elected official, including the auditor, the responsibility to file financial reports directly with the clerk and recorder. The follow-up report and today’s press release imply that the Council’s administrative staff should take on responsibilities that fall to the elected officials themselves. This is a misunderstanding of both the law and the structure of city governance. An elected official’s financial reporting requirements do not fall under the operational purview of the council’s executive director.
It is disappointing that the auditor’s press release omitted these key facts and instead presented a narrative that lacks the full, unchallenged context shared during today’s meeting. Transparency and accountability remain core values of the City Council, and it is committed to upholding them while respecting the legal frameworks that govern its operations.
We encourage the public and media to review the full video discussion from today’s Independent Audit Committee meeting for a more accurate and complete understanding of the issues raised and addressed.
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