[Archived] City Releases Internal Audit Report

City Press Release


	City of Alexandria, Virginia Office of the City Manager Alexandria City Hall 301 King Street, Suite 3500 Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3211 www.alexandriava.gov Telephone: 703.838.4300 Fax : 703.838.6343

The City of Alexandria released today the results of an internal audit of the staff reports produced for the City’s Boards of Architectural Review (BAR). The audit was ordered by the City Manager last year when, during an inquiry into the BAR approval of an automatic teller machine (ATM) which did not meet zoning requirements, questions arose regarding the practices of City staff in preparing reports for the BAR.

The audit, which was conducted by the City’s Office of Internal Audit (OIA), reviewed reports that staff in the Department of Planning and Zoning prepared for the Old and Historic Alexandria District Board of Architectural Review and the Parker-Gray District Board of Architectural Review between October 1, 1997 and July 1, 1999. These boards determine the appropriateness of proposed changes to exterior architectural features of buildings and structures subject to public view within the City’s historic districts. These boards also control the demolition of structures in the districts.

Under BAR procedures, after a property owner makes an application to the BAR, City staff prepare a report that provides relevant facts about the project under consideration, including background information on the historic or architectural resources used in the project, any past BAR actions on the property and comments from relevant City departments. The report also makes recommendations for BAR action. These staff reports are the primary documents that the BAR relies on in understanding and deciding cases.

OIA reviewed 355 staff reports from both districts. It found that approximately one-third of the reports contained comments that were attributed to City departments, but were not supported by comments actually submitted by those departments. In some cases, comments in the reports were characterized by the staff as having been made by other City departments, when in fact no comments had been submitted by the departments. In other cases, the comments in the reports did not fully reflect, or represent, substantial revisions to the comments that had been submitted by the departments.

OIA also found that BAR applications occasionally were not routed to all of the appropriate City departments for comment, and that backup files sometimes did not contain pertinent documentation.

OIA further determined, based on interviews with numerous City departments, that the comments improperly attributed to the City departments in the BAR reports were generally consistent with the comments that the departments would have made if they had been given the opportunity to comment, and that, in many cases, the report comments were derived from the City codes, BAR design guidelines or other City planning documents.

OIA thus concluded that none of the decisions reached by the BAR in the October 1997 to July 1999 period were adversely affected in any material manner by the improper report comments, with the exception of a decision approving the ATM that had prompted the City audit.

In addition, the audit found no evidence indicating any improper motives or intentions on the part of City staff to inappropriately influence the BAR’s decision-making, or to present any false or misleading information to the BAR.

"I am not pleased at the number of staff reports containing erroneous characterizations of department comments," City Manager Phil Sunderland said. "I am pleased, however, by the audit’s findings that no decisions by the Board of Architectural Review were affected by the erroneous characterizations in the staff reports, and that there was no evidence even suggesting that any staff member, in making these characterizations, intended to mislead or convey false information to the Board.

"It is important to note in the audit’s finding that most of the comments incorrectly attributed to other City departments in the staff reports were in line with what the departments would have said if they had, in fact, submitted comments."

The City’s OIA is conducting an internal review of staff reports sent to the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Planning Commission. That review is expected to be completed within the next four weeks.

Copies of the audit are available for the public. To obtain a copy of the audit, please call Angelita Plemmer at (703) 838-4300.