The report indicates that a systematic approach to organizational growth and maturity is needed.

The Clark County Auditor’s Office this week released an audit report of Clark County Public Works’ management, oversight, and delivery of capital transportation projects between 2016 and 2022. The report is available on the county’s website at https://www.clark.wa.gov/auditor/audit-reports.

Auditors found that Clark County Public Works has historically had a less formal, face-to-face work culture. Several efforts by Public Works to develop more formal systems and practices have been unsuccessful due to ineffective processes to manage organizational change. During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, Public Works experienced significant, organization-wide turnover. At the same time, the move to remote work for some employees fundamentally changed the work environment and staff interactions. These challenges led to a breakdown in some of the existing informal controls.

The report identifies opportunities to better integrate key Public Works staff and manage organizational change. Increasing the reliability of data in key systems and adopting efficiency measures would improve Public Works’ ability to manage capital projects and resources. Consistent use of best practices would improve the transparency of decision making and documentation of compliance with regulatory requirements. The report notes that Public Works has already begun to address many of the recommendations.

“Public Works has continued to deliver capital transportation projects despite significant turnover and uncertainty,” said Auditor Greg Kimsey. “Implementing our recommendations will enable Public Works to achieve more consistent outcomes on capital projects and be better positioned to meet future challenges.”

CONTACT:
Greg Kimsey, County Auditor
564.397.2078, greg.kimsey@clark.wa.gov

Larry Stafford, Audit Services Manager
564.397.4795, larry.stafford@clark.wa.gov