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Performance Audit Recommends $440,000 in Annual Savings for Gahanna

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Columbus – The City of Gahanna (Franklin County) could see annual savings of more than $440,000 based on recommendations of a performance audit released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost. 

Auditors also recommended that the city consider whether maintaining two city pools is the best use of financial resources, noting that shifting all programs to one pool could save $199,000 a year over 10 years.

The performance audit was conducted at the request of the city to find ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its services in light of flat population and revenue growth between 2010 and 2015. The performance audit was paid for through the Auditor’s Leverage for Efficiency, Accountability, and Performance (LEAP) Fund.

“Planning for the future is always wise, and Gahanna officials have acted responsibly by asking how the city can position itself best to weather financial downturns that might occur down the road,” said Auditor Yost.

State auditors and city staff worked together to identify areas in which the city could achieve savings. The biggest savings – $396,200 a year – could come from reducing employer health-insurance costs to the county average, auditors found. Bringing staffing of the city’s vehicle service garage in line with the workload could save an additional $44,142 a year. 

The city could save at least $11,400 in the first year by reducing the use of overtime in the police dispatching. Auditors advised the city to evaluate whether additional savings might be realized by sharing dispatch resources with neighboring communities.

Auditors offered other recommendations, though the amount of savings could not be quantified. These include:

  • Bring sick leave accrual in line with peer cities;
  • Reduce sick leave payout to peer city levels
  • Adjust police overtime policies to conform more closely to the Fair Labor Standards Act and to peer cities;
  • Develop a data-driven staffing plan for police patrol officers and detectives;
  • Fully evaluate costs and benefits when setting subsidies for Parks and Recreation programs; and
  • Explore the potential benefit of partnering with the YMCA or other non-profits to provide programs for seniors.

A full copy of this report is available online.

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The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,900 state and local government agencies.  Under the direction of Auditor Dave Yost, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies and promotes transparency in government.

Contact:
Beth Gianforcaro
Press Secretary
614-644-1111