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Attack of the Audits

Mayor L. Douglas Wilder called for audits of the school system and assessor's office on Tuesday and threatened to stop future funding if the schools didn't curb spending in certain areas.

"Now, they [the school system] are going to be held accountable to provide the information," the mayor said Tuesday during a hastily arranged news conference at City Hall. "If they can't provide it, bye bye. There ain't no money coming. And I mean that, as seriously as I mean my name is what it is."

The "external, independent" school audit sought by the mayor would focus on the financial operations of central administration, instructional staff and facilities, said John Gerner , the city administration's new consultant for school funding. Gerner volunteered his services as a consultant for the performing arts center, though the mayor said Tuesday that he might get paid this time around. School Board Chairman George Braxton could not comment on the mayor's demand for an audit without knowing the specifics. But he thinks the community needs to redirect its focus regarding schools.

"The actual mission of the Richmond Public School System is to educate the children of the city of Richmond and to advance student achievement," he said during a phone interview with Richmond.com . "Our job is not to constantly answer audits and deal with detractors."

Braxton added that the school system's academic program had been recenlty audited, in addition to the city auditor's report.

The city administration appropriates funds to Richmond Public Schools on a quarterly basis. The mayor said there was still time for the schools to come forth with information regarding this year's budget cycle.

The audit released last week highlighted $19.5 million worth of funds that could be re-directed to other areas in the budget, but the mayor said it did not contain all the information he needs. "We cannot simply rely on whatever the school system feels like providing to the city auditor who, like the assessor, is appointed by council," he said.

After the conference, City Auditor Umesh Dala said instructional staff departments were not thoroughly audited because significant improvements had been made in that area, despite what he called "significant challenges." He also said that an auditor's office was not qualified to analyze the educational process.

Dala said the school system did not provide all of the information he had requested for reasons unbeknownst to him. He said those inquiries mostly dealt with administration costs.

As for the city assessor's office, the mayor called for a performance audit of the department in order to better understand its methodology. Wilder yesterday called for a 10 percent cap on real estate assessments, which rose about 14 percent on average for city properties this year.

"I believe the public deserves a better understanding of the seemingly helter-skelter, almost dartboard phenomenon that we have in our city today," the mayor said, after reading an e-mail from a citizen whose assessment increased nearly 100 percent. City Assessor James Hester , who was not invited to the conference, responded to the mayor in a press statement. "The responsibility of the Assessor’s Office is to provide a uniform and equitable assessment base," he said. "It is the city administration’s responsibility to formulate a budget and tax rate that meets the needs and desires of its citizens.”

Hester said the assessor's office provides the city with a taxable assessment base that's measured at 95 percent of the market value on Jan. 1. He said the department follows the guidelines set forth by the Appraisal Foundation, a group which is designated by the U.S. Congress as the standard for appraisals.