KnoxViews sat down with Knox County Chief Financial Officer John Troyer and Chief Administrative Officer Dwight Van de Vate this morning to talk about Mayor Mike Ragsdale's proposal for a Knox County Inspector General.

Our report follows after the jump...

The idea was originally floated during the Knox County One Question process, which recommended a charter amendment to create the position of Inspector General. John Troyer presented the idea to the Mayor, who decided it was "in the best interest of Knox County."

The Mayor's office enlisted the help of TVA Inspector General Richard Moore, who advised on establishing an Inspector General's office, its duties, and how it would operate.

One of Mr. Moore's recommendations was to establish an independent Public Integrity Council that would appoint the independent IG and oversee the operations of the office. The council would have nine members, made up of four County Commission appointees, three from the Mayor's office, and two from the School Board.

John Troyer said that the council's work would involve elements of accounting, law enforcement, and the legal profession, so the ideal council members would come from those backgrounds. Although, County Commission, the administration, and the school board can appoint whoever they want except that elected officials would not be permitted to serve on the council.

The council would issue "requests for qualifications" and appoint the most qualified candidate as the Knox County Inspector general. The appointment would be an independent process, with no ratification required by County Commission or the administration.

Qualifications for the Inspector General would be based on the Association of Inspectors General credentialing guidelines, and the appointee would have to be certified by the Association. The IG would be appointed to one six-year term, and could not be reappointed.

Once an IG is appointed, the Public Integrity Council would not be involved in day-to-day operations of the office other than receiving reports for review. Action on any reports or findings would be the responsibility of the appropriate department or the District Attorney General. The council would have the authority to replace the IG only for cause in the case of malfeasance or incapacity.

The purpose of the Inspector General's office would be to "promote public accountability and integrity in the general areas of prevention, examination, investigation, audit, detection, elimination and prosecution of fraud waste and abuse, through policy research and analysis, standardization of practices, policies, conduct, and ethics."

Troyer said that the difference between the Inspector General and the current internal auditor's department, which would remain in place, is that the IG would be "more broadly focused" on county contracts, compliance, vendor relations, purchasing, and county government operations.

When asked about how the IG's office would handle complaints, Dwight Van de Vate said that the IG's office would have an established "whistle-blower" process for county employees to report waste, fraud, and abuse, and that their anonymity would be protected and the rights of accused officials or employees would be safeguarded until completion of the investigation.

Citizen complaints would typically be handled through the Ethics Committee which would refer them to the IG as appropriate, but Van de Vate said the Inspector General would be duty bound to act on any citizen complaints submitted directly to the IG's office.

Van de Vate said that the idea is geared more towards compliance than enforcement, and that the Inspector General's office would take a broader view of county operations with an eye toward best practices that ensure vendor compliance with contracts and employee compliance with county policies.

Troyer said it's about Knox County "getting the best value across the board." They both emphasized that the IG's role would be less focused on "catching" people and more focused on proactive steps to ensure compliance with county policy and contracts, saying it would provide a "deterrent value."

When asked who the Inspector General would report to, Troyer said essentially nobody other than the Public Integrity Council. Van de Vate said it would be similar to the Law Director's office which serves all of Knox Co. government as its clients, except that it wouldn't be an elected office. Troyer and Van de Vate stressed that the IG 's office would be independent of the mayor and county commission.

Regarding concerns about adding a new layer of bureaucracy, Van de Vate noted that the independent office as proposed would have an Inspector General, two forensic officers, and probably one support staff. In the case of an extensive investigation, the IG would be able to request temporary assignment of employees from, for example, the Finance Office or the Internal Auditor's office. The Mayor's office believes that savings from improved oversight and compliance will more than offset the expense of operating the Inspector General's office.

The Mayor's office believes that a Knox County Inspector General is a good idea and that there is no need to wait for a charter amendment. Troyer and Van de Vate said that it can be established now by a County Commission enabling resolution or ordinance.

The path to creating an Inspector General's office involves first getting it funded in the upcoming budget. The budgeted cost is in the range of $250,000 per year. Next would be a County Commission resolution or ordinance creating the office and outlining its duties in general terms. Finally, the Public Integrity Council would help draft a detailed policy governing the Inspector General Office's duties and operation.

The Mayor's office realizes that in the current political climate there may be resistance from various factions. The original One Question proposal called for appointment of the IG by the mayor with confirmation by commission[1]. The idea of a Public Integrity Council, weighted towards County Commission, defuses any political implications of that and ensures an open and independent process.

Limiting the IG to one six-year term also eliminates the possibility of the IG succumbing to outside pressure in order to keep his or her job. The independent nature of the IG's office and leaving the office of Internal Auditor in place, essentially operating at the political whim of County Commission, should address any concerns regarding checks and balances.

By way of editorial comment, the plan is well thought out, with input from the One Question process and guidance from a qualified, experienced professional in TVA Inspector Richard Moore. It seems like a step in the right direction of progressive reform for better government in Knox County. Such an office, had it already been in place, might have helped prevent some of the recent controversies. Going forward, better oversight of county operations could result in savings, and department heads would have an additional resource to help with procurement contracts, oversight, and best practices.

Other than the cost, it's difficult to see how anyone could object. Regarding the cost, Troyer noted that the IG proposal was not discussed in yesterday's County Commission budget hearing. He said that both he and Van de Vate were there, prepared to go over the proposal and discuss the budget impacts, and he found it curious that it didn't come up.

We'll see what happens when commission takes up the budget.

Oh, and one last thing. Contrary to what you may have heard on Hallerin Hill's show this morning, Dwight Van de Vate wants you to know that he does not now nor has he ever operated a nudist colony in Crossville. Heh.

Programming note: John Troyer and Dwight Van de Vate will be on WATE's Tennessee This Week with Gene Patterson this Sunday to discuss the proposal.

[1] Clarification: The IG appointment process originally proposed by One Question called for a "request for qualifications" to be issued by the County Purchasing department "at the direction of the County Mayor," review by the Ethics Committee, and appointment by County Commission.