Denver Auditor’s Office Wins National Award for Solid Waste Audit

Denver Auditor's Office Wins National Award for Solid Waste Audit

Published on March 23, 2023

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DENVER - Denver Auditor Timothy M. O'Brien's administration once again produced one of the top audits of the year among local government audit organizations across the country, according to the Association of Local Government Auditors.

The professional organization for government auditing in the U.S. and Canada recognized the "Residential Trash, Recycling, and Compost Services" audit with the 2022 Exemplary Knighton Award for the largest audit organizations. This is the sixth Knighton award for Auditor O'Brien's administration, more than all prior administrations combined going back to 1995.

"I am proud of this audit team and the results we are achieving on behalf of everyone who cares about Denver," Auditor O'Brien said. "We don't do our work for the awards, but this kind of national recognition and support shows the people we serve that we are doing the best work possible on their behalf."

The audit was published in November 2022, ahead of the start of Denver's new "pay-as-you-throw" volume-based pricing program this year. The audit found Denver's trash, recycling, and compost services were too understaffed and that staff were working with aging, unreliable trucks. This increased the risk of missed pickups and other issues with existing residential service, which the audit found could be worsened under the city's move to the "pay-as-you-throw" model.

The audit also found high vacancy rates among key staff, a risk of bin contamination, and a lack of documentation describing how officials decided to change pickup routes in 2022. That had been the first change to trash routes in 15 years. After missed pickups and reports of illegal dumping, we found complaints might be resolved more quickly depending on how a resident reported the issue to the city.

The Association of Local Government Auditors awards Exemplary and Distinguished Knightons annually to local government audit organizations for "the best performance audit reports of the year."

Audits are judged in categories against reports from other audit organizations of similar size.

Criteria for top reports includes:

• The potential for significant impact and responsiveness to the needs and concerns of decision-makers and/or the public.
• Conclusions that are persuasive, logical, and firmly supported by the evidence, which was gathered using appropriate research methods and tools.
• Recommendations that are feasible and will make government programs more effective and efficient.
• Results that are communicated clearly and concisely.

"This audit had meaningful impact for residents in every neighborhood in Denver," Auditor O'Brien said. "We are prioritizing issues that make a difference in people's everyday lives."

We will follow up on this audit to see how well the city implemented our recommendations.

The auditors who worked on this report included Audit Manager Karole Dachelet, Lead Auditor Tyson Faussone, Lead Auditor Caitlin Casassa, Audit Analytics Manager and Methodologist Dr. Samuel Gallaher, Audit Analytics Senior Heather Burger, and Audit Director Dawn Wiseman.

The previous awards Auditor O'Brien's administration has received from the Association of Local Government Auditors are:

• 2021 Knighton Distinguished Award - Airport Parking Shuttle System
• 2020 Knighton Exemplary Award - Neighborhood Sidewalk Repair Program
• 2019 Knighton Distinguished Award - Denver Preschool Program
• 2018 Knighton Distinguished Award - Affordable Housing
• 2015 Knighton Exemplary Award - Rocky Mountain Human Services

AUDITOR TIMOTHY O'BRIEN, CPA
Denver's Auditor

Denver Auditor's Office
201 W. Colfax Ave. #705 Denver, CO 80202
Email: [email protected]
Call: 720-913-5000
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