DENVER — The city of Denver’s real estate holdings, Denver International Airport’s capital assets management program and the city’s taxation of cannabis businesses are among the proposed audits to be completed by the Denver Auditor’s Office in 2020.
“Money is the lifeblood of government,” Denver Auditor Timothy O’Brien said in a news release. “We will continue to conduct both financial and performance audits to help city agencies and organizations improve and serve the people as best as possible.”
The city of Denver’s charter mandates that the Denver Auditor’s Office must publish a list of proposed audits and other plans for the year ahead annually on the third Monday in October. While city statute allows for the Denver auditor’s goals to change, the proposed audits are meant to give the public and city leaders insight into the auditor’s priorities.
In some ways, the Denver Auditor’s Office serves a check against the power of Denver's "strong mayor" system. Specifically, the Denver mayor has the power to veto any ordinances or resolutions approved by the council and is responsible for the city budget, which gives the mayor more power over the Denver City Council. The Association of Local Government Auditors gave the Denver Auditor’s Office a Distinguished Knighton Award for its report on affordable housing issues earlier this year.
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