Financial Oversight Audit Committee 10/22/2026

The City of El Paso Financial Oversight and Audit Committee met on October 22, 2026. It approved a new citywide donation policy intended to centralize acceptance, accounting, and reporting of cash and in-kind contributions. The policy requires donations to align with city services and values, be reported to the Controller regardless of value, and receive approval through the City Manager or City Council; council members may not independently accept donations for the city. The discussion referenced a $15,000 council-approval threshold in the budget resolution and also discussed cash-donation authority up to approximately $50,000, with a backup provision flagged for correction. Reported cash donations totaled about $43,000 in FY2025 and $534,000 in FY2026. The policy will be reviewed at least every two years, with annual donation reporting and staff training planned. No contract awards or purchasing approvals were identified.

The committee also reviewed an audit of the single-family owner-occupied renovation program (Audit A.2026-06), covering 2023–2025. The audit found generally effective program and procurement controls, including contractor selection and payment practices, but identified missing documentation of city-debt and property-tax checks in six applicant files. Staff described a SharePoint process routing checks to relevant departments; one applicant had a $435.50 overdue parking citation. The proposed FY2027 internal audit plan includes reviews of hotel occupancy tax compliance (expanded to short-term rentals), third-party venue management and revenue, impound-lot operations, a network penetration test, consultant-services spending, zoning and permitting, and surplus-property controls. The transcript does not record a vote on the audit findings or the FY2027 plan.