The state auditor's office has made observations and suggestions in a performance audit conducted

The state auditor's office has made observations and suggestions in a performance audit conducted during the city's financial crisis. Here are some of the more notable ones:
The health department is understaffed in the public health division.It also relies too heavily on fees to fund operations. The audit says it relies on fees for 66 percent of its revenue compared to a peer average of 19 percent and should apply for more grants.The department doesn't appear to use any efficiency measures in its management decision-making process or have a clear understanding of the needs of its target clientele. It has not formed a close relationship with other agencies and does not share resources with Warren's two hospitals, the audit says.The department has many homes waiting to be demolished and has been unable to recoup costs from many of the property owners.The health department keeps all birth and death records on paper and should be storing them in fire-protected or water-proof environments.The health department's housing program does not seek out unregistered rentals and could not provide an estimate of the number of unregistered rentals in the city. Inspecting rental units helps to maintain the quality of housing available in the city.The finance department should spend more on training employees when money becomes available. The cost could be offset by the amount saved if the city changed its accounting practices and no longer had to hire an outside accountant.There are risks of inaccuracies in the city's payroll data due to the short one-week lag in payroll processing. The city should increase the lag time between the payroll period end date and the actual pay date to allow the city extra time to ensure accuracy. The city could save $1,900 if it uses one payroll timekeeping system instead of two, which has caused some duplication of effort.The city does not but should produce a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, containing detailed information for citizens to review. This would build confidence in the governing of the city, the audit says.The city should consider diversifying its investment portfolio, as it puts most available money into CDs. The city only used local banks to complete financial transactions in 1999 and 2000.Packard Music Hall's rental rates are well below the peer average. Its highest rental rate per hour is about 50 percent less than the peer average.The engineering, building and planning department has inadequate documentation to support that construction and material inspections and appropriate levels of oversight are performed in accordance with state standards. It doesn't monitor its fee structure as compared to other cities and should monitor how effectively inspectors' time is used during slow periods.
The health department is understaffed in the public health division.It also relies too heavily on fees to fund operations. The audit says it relies on fees for 66 percent of its revenue compared to a peer average of 19 percent and should apply for more grants.The department doesn't appear to use any efficiency measures in its management decision-making process or have a clear understanding of the needs of its target clientele. It has not formed a close relationship with other agencies and does not share resources with Warren's two hospitals, the audit says.The department has many homes waiting to be demolished and has been unable to recoup costs from many of the property owners.The health department keeps all birth and death records on paper and should be storing them in fire-protected or water-proof environments.The health department's housing program does not seek out unregistered rentals and could not provide an estimate of the number of unregistered rentals in the city. Inspecting rental units helps to maintain the quality of housing available in the city.The finance department should spend more on training employees when money becomes available. The cost could be offset by the amount saved if the city changed its accounting practices and no longer had to hire an outside accountant.There are risks of inaccuracies in the city's payroll data due to the short one-week lag in payroll processing. The city should increase the lag time between the payroll period end date and the actual pay date to allow the city extra time to ensure accuracy. The city could save $1,900 if it uses one payroll timekeeping system instead of two, which has caused some duplication of effort.The city does not but should produce a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, containing detailed information for citizens to review. This would build confidence in the governing of the city, the audit says.The city should consider diversifying its investment portfolio, as it puts most available money into CDs. The city only used local banks to complete financial transactions in 1999 and 2000.Packard Music Hall's rental rates are well below the peer average. Its highest rental rate per hour is about 50 percent less than the peer average.The engineering, building and planning department has inadequate documentation to support that construction and material inspections and appropriate levels of oversight are performed in accordance with state standards. It doesn't monitor its fee structure as compared to other cities and should monitor how effectively inspectors' time is used during slow periods.