City of Tallahassee Sets Public Hearing Related to Inspector General Certification

The Tallahassee City Commission voted on June 2 to hold a public hearing on June 16, 2021 related to the certification of the Inspector General. The new ordinance is the result of the cancellations/postponements of the Inspector General training sessions,due to the COVID pandemic.

In July 2020, the city of Tallahassee adopted Ordinance No. 20-O-22AA which established the Office of Inspector General (OIG). The OIG reports to the City Commission and is in place to investigate and report any possible misconduct by elected officials, public employees, and public providers. They are independent watchdogs for the city they serve.

If necessary, the OIG will conduct reviews and ethical inquiries designed to inform the general public, press, public officials, etc. of the possible gross mismanagement that would be worthy of prosecution. A few examples of misconduct include office management issues, fraud and abuse.

Originally, the plan in July 2020 was to have the City Auditor, Dennis Sutton, serve as the Inspector General and within a year earn the certification of Certified Inspector General (CIG). However, due to COVID19 the certification session, originally scheduled in the fall of 2020, was cancelled and rescheduled for March 2021 and then rescheduled again to August 2021.

The postponements prevented Mr. Sutton from earning the CIG designation within a year of his appointment as provided for in Ordinance No. 20-O-22AA. Now that the threat of COVID19 is dwindling, it is the intention of the Inspector General to attend the training sessions in August 2021.