The Auditing Department assists the Mayor and City Council in the fulfillment of their fiduciary responsibilities by independently examining the City’s internal control systems to determine whether adequate controls exist to help ensure the accomplishment of the City’s objectives in an effective and efficient manner. Those primary objectives are as follows:

• The City is properly collecting all revenue to which it is entitled and the revenue is adequately safeguarded and properly accounted for.

• City expenditures are properly authorized, are made for legitimate purposes, and are properly accounted for.

• City assets are adequately safeguarded and are periodically reconciled to an independent source.

• The City is in compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

The Auditing Department is committed to delivering the highest quality audit services in the most timely and cost-effective fashion, and to building one of the premier local government audit functions in the United States. Its work is performed in accordance with the Institute of internal Auditor’s Standards for the Professional Practices of Internal Auditing and relevant governmental auditing standards. The Department is committed to meeting its annual goals and to monitoring its progress towards achieving them.

Chapter II, Article VII of the City Code covers the responsibilities of the Auditing Department. These responsibilities include:

• The City Auditor reports functionally to the Mayor and City Council, and reports administratively to the Mayor’s Chief of Staff.

• The City Auditor also reports to an Audit Review Committee (ARC) comprised of seven members: The Mayor’s Chief of Staff, the City Treasurer, the Finance Director, the Budget Director, the Chair of the City Council Finance Committee, the City Council Chief of Staff or designee, and one member of Council selected by the City Council President. The City Auditor submits an annual audit plan to the ARC for review and approval. The City Auditor also submits all final audit reports to the ARC.

• The City Auditor and his staff have unrestricted access to all information, records, and assets of the City.

• The City Auditor submits an annual report to the Mayor and City Council, within 30 days of the end of the fiscal year, indicating audits completed, major findings, corrective actions taken by department heads, and significant findings which have not been fully addressed by management.

• The City Auditor recommends a certified public accounting firm for the City of Wilmington’s annual financial statement audit, subject to review by the Audit Review Committee and subject to approval of the City Council and the Mayor.