Audits Allege Favors To Vendor At Austin Water Utility
By Sara Jerome,
@sarmje
A series of recent audits at Austin’s water utility resulted in allegations of favors to vendors and other wrongdoing by former and current employees.
Three tough audits cited at least one employee for favors, “‘grossly uneconomical’ use of city resources and an inappropriate business relationship,” according to KXAN.
The investigation focused in large park on Austin Water’s Public Information & Marketing Office. Utility marketing services manager Kevin Buchman received pre-disciplinary action this month, the report said.
The employee, Kevin Buchman, “may have accepted a favor from an employee who reports to him in the form of a real estate evaluation of Buchman’s property that was not related to the employee’s job responsibilities,” the audit said.
Another employee, Jason Hill, “resigned in late December after an investigation by the Office of the City Auditor concluded that he had accepted a gift or favor from a city contractor and wasted city money in payments to that contractor,” the Austin Monitor reported.
The audit found that Hill “misused City resources for his secondary employment as a real estate agent.”
“We found evidence, including his own admission, that Hill misused his City internet and computer in furtherance of his secondary employment as a real estate agent,” the audit said.
Per the Monitor, the audits are available here, here, and here.
Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros responded to the audits, per the Austin American-Statesman, saying that the utility will undertake “a comprehensive review of all marketing and advertising activities undertaken by Austin Water and a strengthening of controls and cost effectiveness of these programs.”
To read more about misconduct visit Water Online’s Labor Solutions Center.