Performance Audit Committee 2021 Annual Report

Office of the Pierce County Council

Pierce County Performance Audit Committee

2021

Annual Report

About Performance Audit

Under the County Charter, the Pierce County Council conducts an ongoing program of performance audits. By ordinance, the Performance Audit Committee is the focal point of audit activities. For the Charter and Code provisions, click here. Audit reports are posted on the county website.

Interpreter Services

2021

Performance Audit Committee Members Councilmember Ryan Mello, Chair Councilmember Amy Cruver, Vice Chair Councilmember Jani Hitchen Councilmember Hans Zeiger (alternate) Gary Robinson, Finance Director Dick Muri, Citizen Member Josh Smith, Citizen Member

The Performance Audit Committee requested a report on interpreter services to examine and make recommendations regarding the use of foreign language interpreters in various county departments.

compliance with federal language access legal mandates; however, many are not, and there is no central point of oversight to ensure the county is in compliance.

The report recommended that the county: The committee retained The Athena Group, of Olympia, to conduct the study, which • Identify a county-wide purpose included an analysis of federal and state laws, and statement of values to guide regulations, standards, and leading practices departments. for the effective delivery of interpreter and • Provide a coordinated approach to translation services by government entities. ensuring legal compliance, and support department efforts to assess language The firm conducted research, interviews, support needs. outreach, and document reviews with • Streamline procurement practices and several county departments that provide leverage existing programs and systems extensive amounts of language access to identify staff with bilingual language services, and administered an online survey proficiency. of all departments to develop a county-wide • Develop a coordinated approach to understanding of language access services meeting department resource needs and general practices. for interpretation and translation, bilingual staffing, and technology needs The evaluation found that Pierce County (accessible websites and video). departments are, overall, highly responsive to • Strengthen communication and the growing complexity of language needs of engagement with Limited English the population. Some departments are more Proficiency communities by using proactive than others with clear policies, culturally relevant language practices plans and practices for language access that and bilingual staff. are consistent with many emerging best practices in this field. Several departments The full report can be found here. that receive federal funding are monitoring

Performance Audit Risk Assessment

2021 Projects

Interpreter services Performance Audit risk assessment

The Performance Audit Committee requested this report as part of its 2020 work program.

and document reviews with all county departments except for the courts.

A risk assessment is a means of identifying, measuring, and prioritizing potential audit areas based on the level of risk these areas pose to an organization. Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards require the establishment of a risk-based approach to determine areas of focus for internal audit activities. The Committee contracted with Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting of Sacramento to conduct the assessment.

The resulting report includes summary pages for each department describing functions, responsibilities and costs, and a heat map rating the risks for those functions, along with potential audit topics. The report also includes a list of recommended audits from those potential topics for the Performance Audit Committee to consider in future work programs. The full report can be accessed here.

The risk assessment included an analysis of prior audits and findings, legal and regulatory requirements, program goals and objectives, agency and leadership concerns, compliance requirements, and internal controls such as performance management. The team conducted research, interviews and outreach,

Audit Outcomes The Committee included several of the studies recommended in the Risk Assessment in its 2022 work program, including an evaluation of the county’s Road and Solid Waste Funds and a review of the county’s Covid response.

Sheriff’s Department Use of Force Analysis The Performance Audit Committee requested staff analyze use of force in the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

According to department policy force is: “The application of physical techniques or tactics, chemical agents, or weapons to another person. It is not a use of force when a person allows him/herself to be searched, escorted, handcuffed, or restrained.”

The analysis addressed the following questions: •

• •

How does the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department compare to peer agencies nationally and locally in use of force reports?

How proportionate or disproportionate is use of force to racial demographics compared to peer agencies?

How do use of force tactics compare nationally and in Washington state?

The report found the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department use of force reports per 1,000 residents falls broadly in the middle of other Washington agencies in terms of prevalence of use of force, standardized by population.

Further, use of force incidents per 100 arrests suggest that Black residents are about 1.6 times as likely as white residents to experience force in their arrest, and Native Americans are 1.4 times as likely as white residents to experience force (Latino and Asian American/Pacific Islander residents are somewhat less likely). This falls within the range of other law enforcement agencies reviewed in the report.

The full report can be found here.

Audit Outcomes In continuation of the work on criminal justice issues, the committee is currently evaluating racial disparities in arrest rates.

Behavioral Health Tax Program Evaluation Plan The Pierce County Council, through ordinance 2020-138s, levied a one-tenth of one percent sales and use tax for behavioral health and therapeutic courts, and directed the Performance Audit Committee to conduct a comprehensive assessment of all services and programs receiving funding from this tax.

In coordination with Human Services Department staff and the Behavioral Health Advisory Board, Performance Audit staff developed an evaluation plan to assess the effectiveness of the tax, based on the Council’s policy goals listed in the ordinance.

These include: a) Reduce the number, time, and rate of avoidable behavioral health crises; b Ensure broad access to treatment for Pierce County residents in both urban and rural communities, regardless of the type of health insurance coverage or lack thereof; c) Prioritize services to especially vulnerable populations, particularly youth and veterans; d) Divert adults and youth with behavioral

health needs from costly interventions (e.g., emergency rooms, hospitals, jails, police calls, EMS, etc.) to more appropriate services; e) Reduce rates of substance use morbidity and mortality;

2021

Performance Audit Committee Members Councilmember Ryan Mello, Chair Councilmember Amy Cruver, Vice Chair Councilmember Jani Hitchen Councilmember Hans Zeiger (alternate) Gary Robinson, Finance Director Dick Muri, Citizen Member Josh Smith, Citizen Member

f) Reduce rates of suicide and other selfharm; g) Link, leverage, and align behavioral health programs and services available in the community; and h) Provide trauma-informed, culturally competent services.

Staff will measure the impact of the tax on these goals by looking at broad community indicators (substance use, behavioral health, physical health, employment, housing, rates of suicide and violent crime) and more specific analyses of services provided, cost savings, and outcomes for individuals in the system.

Reports will be issued every two years beginning in 2023. The full report can be found here.

2021 Projects

Sheriff’s department use of force analysis Behavioral Health Tax program evaluation plan

2022-2023 Studies

Homeless Services Assessment This study was requested by the Performance Audit Committee to: (a) Assess the need for and costs of ensuring adequate shelter for Pierce County residents experiencing homelessness; (b) Create a comprehensive inventory of funding sources and intended uses of resources dedicated to preventing, ameliorating, and ending homelessness in Pierce County; (c) Estimate the indirect expenditure and economic costs, (e.g., policing, healthcare, school-related) of homelessness circa 2021 in Pierce County; and (d) Assess gaps in existing services.

Boards and Commissions Evaluation The Performance Audit Committee requested a study of the county’s boards and commissions to evaluate the history and financial impact of each board; the alignment of boards and commissions with Council priorities; and representation of the county population on boards and commissions.

911 Response Times This project will result in a dashboard that reports 911 response times for the Pierce County Sheriff for different levels of call priority. The dashboard will be made available to the public.

Property Tax Senior Exemption Analysis The committee requested an analysis of this exemption to identify barriers to usage for eligible citizens.

Ferry System Cost Comparisons In support of ongoing work on the Ferry system, performance audit staff will provide cost comparisons among different ferry systems to help identify areas for improvement for Pierce County.

Remote Work This study will evaluate the county’s remote work policies, given the rapid expansion in remote work due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Office of the Pierce County Council

Stay Informed The Performance Audit Committee meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. in Pierce County Council Chambers, 10th floor, 930 South Tacoma Avenue in Tacoma. Attend a hybrid meeting in person or via Zoom, or watch it live at PierceCountyTV.Org or on Comcast/Click! channels 22/522 HD or Rainier Connect channels 20/513HD. www.piercecountywa.gov/performanceaudit

Contact Information William Vetter Senior Legislative Analyst (253) 798-2330 bill.vetter@piercecountywa.gov

Nathan Schumer Legislative Analyst (253) 798-7742 nathan.schumer@piercecountywa.gov

To receive committee updates, including meeting announcements, please contact committee Clerk Audrey Persons, (253) 798-7778 or email audrey.persons@piercecountywa.gov.